Lost Souls
by LeadMeIntoTemptation
Summary: Six homeless youth. All from different situations meet each other in a big city. They soon form an unbreakable bond. AH. Canon pairings. Warnings: Talk of sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, drug use, sex, prostitution and really bad language. If these things bother/trigger you please don't subject yourself to them.
1. Day One

**A/N: So for some reason I'm deciding to start this story even though I only have two chapters written. The way this story is written is the way it will stay even after they all meet each other. Please heed the warnings, they are there for a reason. **

**Warnings: Talk of sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, drug use, sex, prostitution and really bad language. If these things bother/trigger you please don't subject yourself to them. **

**The only disclaimer for this story: I do not own anything affiliated with the Twilight Saga. All copyrighted materials belong to their perspective owners. No copyright infringement intended. The story and the plot do belong to LeadMeIntoTemptation. **

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_**Day One. **_

Rosalie Lillian Hale 

I cringed as I shifted to my left side, the bruises to my right ribs too painful to even think about. My parents could care less that Royce beat the shit out of me yet again. I've lost count of how many times he's abused me now. I leave Royce to come home to my drunken father just so he can beat up on me as well. Where's my mother you might ask. Well your guess is as good as mine, when she is at home she stays locked in the study gambling on the computer and when she isn't home…well who knows where she is.

I groaned as I lifted myself off of my bed and walked slowly to my joining bathroom to assess the damage done this time. I flipped on the light illuminating my marble bathroom and stared at my reflection. My right eye was slightly swollen with a large scratch underneath it, the left side of my jaw was red and swollen, and I had dark fingerprint bruises around my throat. There was no telling how bad the rest of my body looked. I wheezed while trying to take a deep breath and started to cough causing sharp pains to shoot through my right side.

"Fuck!" I gritted out grabbing a handful of my shirt and yanking it up, revealing the dark purple and red bruises that littered my ribs. I grabbed a washcloth running it under the warm water and started to wash the dirt off of my face. I couldn't hang around here any longer, who knew how far Royce or my father would go next. The next time they decided to beat me could be the end. I sniffled and wiped the blood off of my nose and the tears from my eyes before turning on the jets in my whirlpool. All the girls at school were jealous of me, my parents had more money than God and I was dating the most wanted senior in high school. I, Rosalie Hale, a sophomore, was dating a senior. If they only knew. Knew the private hell I lived in, the pain I had to deal with on a daily basis. I stripped off my shorts and torn underwear throwing them in the trash along with my shirt before sinking into the steaming hot water, letting it consume my body. I had to leave, this much I knew. Where was I going to go? I can't stay in this small town, everyone knows me and would send me right back to my parents. I had to get away, far, far, away, another state, another city. Somewhere I could live and make good money; I could make it on my own. I just knew it and tomorrow would be the day I did it.

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Mary Alice Brandon 

White. White. White. Everywhere I look there's white. Someone could really benefit from a little fashion advice; I mean how hard could it be to just paint the walls a warm summer color instead of fucking white? I shifted on the plastic mattress looking out the dirty window, trying like hell to see through the triple paned murky glass and white rusting bars that covered the window. What I would give to feel the wind on my face again, smell the wonderful aroma of fall outside of the barb wired fence. I held the contractors pencil in my hand and looked at the locked steel door that kept me trapped inside the eight by ten room. Even the pencils here sucked; they were the flat ones that you have to sharpen with a special sharpener. The reason they let us have them is because you can't sharpen them to a point so that, y'know, you can't stab someone in the throat with it or yourself.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine my life at home, before everything happened, my loving home with a loving mother and father and a beautiful baby brother whose laugh warmed your soul. It wasn't long before the image of my happy home turned into my mother running through the woods, crying and looking behind her, screaming for help as someone came up behind her drawing a knife across her throat. Not just someone, my father. Then it morphed into my father standing in the bathroom washing blood off of his hands and throwing his clothes into the sink before setting them aflame. I opened my eyes and looked around, expecting my father to be standing in the room with me, holding the same knife only now he would be trying to slit my throat.

I looked down at the paper in my lap, a perfectly drawn replica of the forest behind my house, my mother's lifeless body laying on the woodland floor, my father standing over her with blood dripping from his knife. The all too familiar sick feeling started to churn in my stomach and I quickly ripped the page into tiny pieces knowing what would happen if the nurses discovered the drawing. I'd be stuck in here even longer, "until I can realize that these delusions aren't real."

"Too bad they aren't delusions." I whispered to myself before dropping the tattered pieces of paper into the plastic Styrofoam cup filled with water. I stood up and walked over to the door knocking on it. "Hello." I tried to yell through the door. "Please let me go back to my room!" I needed to get out of here before I went crazy, not just this room, this entire place. I pulled the tiny folded up piece of paper from the waistband of my scrub pants and slowly unfolded it, careful not to rip it. I studied the floor plan of the Windbrooke Institution for what seemed like the millionth time. Tomorrow was the day, the day I would be free. Free once and for all.

Isabella Marie Swan

I yawned, stretching out my tight muscles as the Phoenix sun rays beat down onto my tan skin, feeling the sand shift beneath the towel I was laying on. I looked down towards the water as young children ran through the shore of the small manmade lake. I sighed noticing the bruise on my inner thigh; Jacob really had to stop that. I had been having an affair with Jacob, my married 30 something year old neighbor for a few months now. Was it wrong? Yeah. Did I care? Fuck no. Like mother like daughter I suppose, only the opposite. My mother always went for men ten or more years her junior, I guess because she felt like it made her younger. I rolled my eyes at the thought, like that would happen.

My mom was what some might call a free spirit when in reality she was just a slut. Gone six nights a week with different men leaving me home alone for as long as I can remember. I recall being six and watching her put on a too tight dress before leaving me home alone with a can of chicken noodle soup but no knowledge of how to open the damn thing. She didn't return for three days, I lived off of sandwiches along with school breakfast and lunches. My dad ditched out on us when my mom was pregnant, or so she says, I have no way of verifying that information because I don't know the first thing about the man besides a picture of him with my mom when they were sixteen, right before she found out she was pregnant with me.

After the third man my mom brought home decided to slap me around and sneak into my room so he could run his fingers under my nightgown I decided to start taking care of myself. Anytime I would hear someone stumbling in with my mom I'd leave out my window, dropping off of the porch roof onto the ground and make my way to a park nearby where I'd sleep inside the tunnels. The first night I stayed in the tunnels it was a few days before my thirteenth birthday, three years ago. It wasn't bad at all considering some of the places I could've ended up. I stood up, ignoring the calls from men as I wiped the sand off of my legs and shook out my towel before rolling it up and placing it in my bag. I slipped my sandals on and pulled my cover up back over my body then made my way to my '79 chevy. I hopped up inside and threw my bag across the seat then fired up my truck.

Jacob and I started messing around earlier this year when I was left alone by my mother yet again. He caught me dropping out of my window for the thousandth time. Long story short, his wife was out of town and we ended up having sex. I freaked out right after, figuring I was no better than my mother and avoided him for a few weeks until curiosity got the best of me and I found myself back in his bed. I pulled into the driveway and shut the loud ass engine off before walking into the house. There was a note taped to the wall, I pulled it off along with a chip of paint. I sighed, why couldn't she just leave it on the counter?

_Bella- _

_Gonna be out 2nite. Don't wait up. Left some money for dinner in ur room. _

_Love,_

_Mom. _

I walked to my room and found a five dollar bill sitting on my bed. _Wow, thanks. _I grabbed a quick shower then walked to my dresser pulling out the envelope that was taped to the top of the inside. Over the years I had been removing all the money from the wallets and pockets of men that my mom brought over along with stashing the money she'd leave for food. I added the five dollars and sat down to count it all. I needed at least three thousand before I would leave and set my sights on Las Vegas. I had raided Jacob's wallet as well each time I went over, thinking of it as payback for my innocence or some shit like that. Unfortunately, the men hardly ever carried more than fifty dollars on them, every once in awhile I would get lucky and find a few hundred. I finished counting with exactly thirty six hundred dollars. _Looks like I'll be leaving tomorrow night, _I thought smiling to myself.

Jasper Cole Whitlock 

"Fuck that's heavy as shit." I threw the last hundred pound hay bell onto the back of the flatbed before wiping off the sweat that was dripping from my brow. "I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow." I pulled my thick leather glove off with my teeth before removing the other one and shoving them both into my pocket.

"At least we'll be getting paid good today. Yesterday was a bust." I nodded agreeing with my friend Riley. Yesterday we bailed and hauled thirteen acres of hay only to get paid a thousand dollars for the both of us.

"That's what happens when you don't have a steady business." I grabbed my t-shirt off of the ground and wiped off my sweaty chest before tossing it into the cab of the truck. "You ready to go drop it off?" Riley nodded and climbed inside the passenger seat. I fired up the truck and drove through the field towards the McKee ranch. Once we pulled up and unloaded the hay into their barn we made our way up to the house where we had left my truck earlier this morning.

"Hey boys." Steven McKee came towards us waving and wearing his signature blue jean overalls. He clasped a hand on my shoulder and looked back towards his barn. "Thanks for doin' that for me guys, it sucks that my good for nothing son couldn't help his old man out."

"Don't mention it Mr. McKee, it was no trouble at all." I smiled and shook his hand as he handed us each an envelope.

"Well you boys get on home, it's damn near dark out here."

"See you later sir, if you need anything else you make sure to call me."

"I definitely will." He called before disappearing inside his house. We climbed into my truck before eagerly tearing into our envelopes.

"Holy shit man!" Riley called out looking at me. "He gave us fucking two grand! Do you know what we could do with this money tonight? Please go out with me, just this one night?" I chuckled.

"You know I don't go out Riley, let's go home." I started up my truck and made my way towards Riley's house.

"I know." Riley muttered. "Summer's almost over man, I don't want to go back to school." Riley didn't know that I had no intentions of returning to school for my senior year, no one knew.

"I know how ya feel man." I idled up in front of his house.

"Hey man, you wanna come in for dinner? Y'know my mom loves having you around." I smiled.

"No thanks, I'm going to pick up something and head home."

"Alright well, I'll talk to you tomorrow." I nodded and waved as he ran inside his house. I drove to the opposite side of town leaving the nice suburbs for the dusty countryside. After stopping to pick up some Taco Bell I pulled into the driveway of my house. I walked inside trying to flip on the light only to be met with darkness.

"Shit." I grumbled grabbing a flashlight and making my way to the backyard. I found, yet again, another pad lock around the box put in place by the electric company. I grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from the shed and cut it off then manually turned the electricity back on. I made my way back inside an illuminated house and locked up. I tested the water; luckily the water company hadn't discovered that I turned that back on again. I sat down at the table to eat my twelve tacos and down my two large Dr. Peppers before going to take a shower.

My parents bailed when I was thirteen, they were addicted to meth and decided they needed to be out in the world instead of tied down at home with a child. Luckily our house was paid for so I stayed here; making it three months before the electricity and water were shut off. I figured out how to turn it back on soon enough though. Every few months they would catch on and come out, shut the shit off then lock up the boxes with new padlocks. I loved Littleton but I needed a change, I needed a big city where I could get a decent job. There weren't a lot of jobs down here in Texas except working on a farm which wasn't how I wanted to live my life.

I scrubbed my body, washing away the day and massaging my sore muscles. I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist before making my way to my bedroom. The house only had a couch, kitchen table, my bed and dresser. Everything else I sold when I was thirteen because I was trying to earn enough money to turn our utilities back on. I sat down on my bed opening a shoe box that I kept underneath it. I pulled the multiple wads of cash out dumping them on my bed so I could count it all. I finished my counting at a grand total of thirteen thousand dollars. _Looks like it's time for me to get out of here._

Emmett Dale McCarty

"Emmett! Get the fuck up you lazy piece of shit!" Something hard hit my shoulder as I opened my eyes looking around. My foster father was standing over me a tequila bottle dangling from his fingers.

"It's eight a.m. don't you think it's a little early for that shit?" I quickly dodged the lamp he picked up from my desk and threw at me. "What did you want anyway?" I stood up, my 6'3 frame towering over him.

"Your mother wants you downstairs." He slurred, his breath slapping me in the face. I grimaced smelling the pungent odor of cigarette smoke and liquor.

"She's not my mother." I grumbled before walking downstairs. "What Margaret?"

"Why won't you call me mom?" She asked throwing a frying pan into the sink.

"Because you aren't my fucking mother." I hated having this discussion every damn day.

"I need you to take Tasha and Natalie to swim lessons."

"Why can't you?" I watched as she stumbled around the kitchen trying to steady herself. I sighed. "Alright." I grabbed a hoodie off of the couch and pulled it over my head. "Tasha! Natalie! Let's go!"

"Stop fucking yelling!" Roy yelled from upstairs causing me to roll my eyes. My foster sisters came downstairs in oversized clothes. They were six years old and were just placed here by foster care three months ago. I smiled trying to cheer them up but it only worked for so long.

"Let's go lil' monsters." I lead them outside to the old minivan that was three miles from breaking down. I loaded them up making sure they were buckled up and safe before getting into the front seat. I tried to turn the engine over six times before it finally came to life. I backed out of the driveway and drove towards the local YMCA. The Stevenson's only put the girls in swimming classes because they're free and it gets them out of the house for two hours three times a week. I wanted nothing more than to keep driving with Tasha and Natalie and never look back, but I couldn't. I dropped them off, waving with a smile before pulling away and driving to the bank where my savings account was. I pulled through the drive thru and slid my card into the ATM. I hit the balance inquiry button waiting impatiently for the slip. I yanked it from the machine looking at my balance.

"What the fuck?!" I yelled after seeing the available balance at 1.26. I squealed the tires as I threw the car into drive and whipped into a parking spot. I slammed it into park then stalked inside up to the teller. "What happened to my money?"

"I'm sorry?" The old woman looked at me.

"I had six hundred dollars in this account three days ago, now I have a dollar. What happened?" The woman took down my name and looked up my account information.

"It says here your legal guardian; Roy Stevenson withdrew the money yesterday." I saw red as I slammed my hand against the counter causing the woman to jump. I walked back outside looking around, I needed to run. I took off down the street, not hearing, not seeing; the only thought that filled my head was Roy stealing my money, throwing beer bottles at my head, burning my arm with his fucking cigarettes, Roy slamming my head into the wall when I was fifteen causing a concussion. I pushed harder, my feet slamming into the ground. I had no idea where I was going but I didn't care.

Eight hours later I was pulling into the driveway with Tasha and Natalie in tow; my clothes were soaked through with sweat even though it had been four hours since I ended my run. I walked into the kitchen opening the cabinets, trying to find any semblance of food. I grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese and found two hotdogs in the fridge. I quickly made the dinner for the girls then went upstairs to shower. After they finished I had them take baths and get ready for bed then read them a bedtime story and quietly walked out of their room, closing the door behind me.

I was awoken by the sound of one of the girls crying and shaking me. I woke up quickly, my body hyperaware of everything around me. Tasha was in front of me, crying so hard she was shaking.

"What's wrong?"

"N-n-natalie…" She sniffled, her chin shaking. "He's in there." I was out of bed and across the hall in what felt like milliseconds. I found Roy trying to pull Natalie's pajamas off and I couldn't stop myself. I grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the hallway, his head bouncing off the wall. I saw red on the wall but it didn't stop me as I hit him over and over; the only thing I could hear was my blood rushing through my ears and Margaret screaming. I didn't stop until I felt a small hand pulling on my arm. I turned and found the girls staring at me, their eyes wide with fear. I looked down at my foster father, his face swollen and drenched with blood; barely recognizable. I was shaking from the adrenaline coursing through my body.

"The cops are on their way! They're going to lock you up forever you awful piece of trash!" Margaret yelled at me. Fuck I had to get away. I grabbed the bag I always kept packed from my closet, slid on a pair of shoes and ran downstairs. I disappeared into the woods behind our neighborhood, running until I was completely hidden in the thick brush.

Edward Anthony Masen 

I was pulled from my sleep by my phone ringing on the nightstand next to me. I quickly reached over, hitting the green button and holding it to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered my voice thick with exhaustion. I had just gotten off the strip four hours ago.

"Sorry to wake you man but we just got a new shipment, figured you'd want first dibs before all the lowlifes came shopping around." I coughed trying to wake myself up before moving out of bed.

"Yeah thanks man, you stopping by?"

"Yep."

"I'll have the money." The line ended. I grabbed the pair of jeans off my floor and slid them up over my hips before buttoning them. I pulled my gun from under my pillow and slid it into the back of my waistband. I slipped on a black t-shirt just as three knocks fell against my door. I walked down stairs to the front door, pulling it open and squinting against the bright sunlight that came streaming in. I stepped aside allowing Garrett to enter into my house.

"Here's your normal request." He placed the black bag on the couch. I walked into my office and opened the safe that was kept under my desk. I quickly entered the combination and pulled out a stack of money. I carried it back to the living room closing the door to my office behind me.

"Here ya go." I handed him the money and he shook my hand.

"We'll see you next week." I nodded and watched as he walked out. I had known Garrett since I first came to Las Vegas at the young age of fourteen. We were living on the street when someone who worked for the Volturi Brothers approached us, offered us shelter and food if we would sale for them. Of course we jumped all over it, not having seen money like that in quite some time. Garrett decided to keep slinging, taking shipments to Aro's dealers while I chose to go out on my own. I got to keep most of the money and had bought my very own house and car by sixteen; when you're throwing cash at people they don't question your age. Two years later business was booming and I had more money that I could spend.

I carried the black bag into my office opening a separate safe and tossing it inside. I'd sort it all out later. Now it was time for me to go back to bed and try to sleep for a few more hours.


	2. Day Two

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_**Day Two**_

Rosalie Lillian Hale

I listened carefully as my father stumbled down the hall past my bedroom. I could hear him grunt as he fell against the wall before managing to open the door to my parent's bedroom. When I was sure he was inside I slipped from my bed and walked into my closet. I pulled the pink rolling suitcase down from the top, already packed and ready to go. I pulled on a zip up sweater over my t-shirt and jeans then pulled my blonde hair into the hood of my sweatshirt.

I picked up my boots and my purse before walking out onto my balcony. I dropped the suitcase and my purse over the railing watching as it landed on the soft grass before slipping my boots on and sliding down the rain gutter. Once my feet were on the ground I picked up my things and ran to my car. I pulled the license plate off of my Audi and tossed it in the trash. I placed my suitcase in the trunk, looked back at my house one last time then started up my car and drove out of my quiet, gated neighborhood.

I stopped by the bank's ATM and drained my bank account in addition to maxing out my four credit cards with withdrawals. I pulled up the map on my phone and typed in the address for where I was heading. I was finally escaping to the bright lights of Las Vegas from the crappy town of Sacramento. I checked my side and rearview mirrors religiously, always looking for headlights that seemed to get too close to my car, watching for any sign of a cop that would send my ass back home.

I had been driving for hours before my stomach started to growl pulling me out of my paranoia and setting my thoughts back on my plan. I needed to make it to Bakersfield before I could stop and I had to make it before daylight when the risk of a cop spotting my car was higher. I didn't have a license plate any longer which made the possibility of being pulled over much more likely. The gas light on my car came on ten miles outside of Bakersfield and I pulled over into a little 24 hour gas station that looked like it hadn't had business for a few days. I quickly filled up and slipped my sunglasses over my face before walking inside to shove forty dollars at the attendant. I rushed towards the bathroom in the back for a quick break then hightailed it back out to my car, flooring the gas pedal and pulling away from the station.

I drove the rest of the way into Bakersfield and stopped at a small hotel on the other side of the town just as the sun started to rise over the horizon making it unnecessary for headlights. I paid for a room for the day where I would camp out until nightfall when I could finish my journey to Vegas. Once I was safely inside my room I shut my phone off and locked all the locks that the door provided. I checked outside a few times before finally letting myself lie down on the bed; I closed my eyes feeling at peace for the first time in years.

Mary Alice Brandon

"Do you need anything else before we close up for the night Ally?" Mark, the youngest nurse, asked me giving me the same flirtatious smile he always did. I smiled sweetly moving from the window.

"Well there might be one thing you could help me with." I said quietly, batting my eyelashes all while trying to keep the bile from rising in my throat.

"And what would that be?" Mark crossed his arms over his chest. This wasn't the first time I'd done this, it was probably the eighth. I had to build his trust somehow and the only way I could do that was on my knees. Mark closed the door to my room leaning back against it. He knew the routine as well as I did. I lowered onto my knees, breathing deeply through my nose. _Don't throw up. Don't throw up. Don't throw up. This is the last time you have to do this. _When his pants hit the floor I went to work, trying to keep the tears at bay. The bitter taste of him on my tongue was enough to make my stomach flip but tonight wouldn't be the night I lost it. Tonight was too important.

I looked up at him; Mark's head was tilted back against the door, his eyes closed. I slipped my hand into the pocket of his scrub pants fishing around for his keys. I squeezed them tightly in my hand so that they wouldn't make a sound when I slipped them into my own scrub pants just as he finished into my mouth. I heard the siren sound signaling a patient was trying to escape. Mark jerked his pants up running from the room, forgetting to close my door behind him. I quickly fled from my room, running down the hallway towards the back of the asylum.

I slipped into the back stairwell running down the stairs as fast as my feet would carry me, trying my hardest not to fall. I reached the emergency exit looking through the small window. The backyard was dark and empty; the orderly's preoccupied with the escapee. I grabbed the keys from my pants and started trying each one in the hole. Wasn't it illegal to keep these doors locked? When the right key finally sank in I turned it quickly to the left listening to the lock open. I glanced around and through the small window one more time making sure the coast was clear before pressing against the red bar and opening the door. The minute the heavy metal door was open the alarm sounded, letting everyone know an emergency exit had been released. I darted across the yard running faster than I thought I could. The only sound that could be heard was my heart beating in my ears and my bare feet falling against the wet grass.

I made it to the fence in record time quickly pushing hard against the part that I had cut open a few days before. I shoved my body hard against it to get the metal to give away. My body slipped through, my leg catching on the edge of the chain link and ripping my pants; cutting my leg open in the process. I ran to the parking lot hitting the automatic lock over and over trying to locate Mark's car. When I saw headlights flash from the back of the parking lot I made a break for it. I dove into the front seat of his old Malibu and tried to get the key in the ignition. My hands were shaking so hard I missed three times before it finally sank in and I flipped it over, starting the engine.

I pulled out of the parking lot and followed the abandoned roads out until I hit the interstate. I hadn't been outside of the asylum in over a year and I had no idea where I was going, I just knew that I would stay on the I-20 until I ran out of gas. I glanced at Mark's gas gauge noting that he had filled up recently and I guessed I had maybe two hundred miles before it ran out of gas but I didn't care. All I cared about was that I was finally free.

Isabella Marie Swan

I stuck my hands out in front of me stumbling through the darkness of my room trying to locate my desk lamp and in the process I knocked my Biology book off the small desk causing a large _thump _to resound through the house.

"What was that?" The guy downstairs with my mom asked.

"Nothing, probably the cat," _We don't have a fucking cat. _"Don't worry baby, I told you we were alone." _No you're not._ I finally wrapped my fingers around the small switch and turned it on letting the soft light illuminate my room so that I could see. I tossed an open bag onto my bed and started throwing clothes inside. Jeans and t-shirts mostly since that seemed to be all I owned. I also threw in my swimsuits and shorts. I grabbed a few pairs of shoes and the bag of toiletries I had packed earlier. I zipped it up, slung the bag over my shoulder and looked around my room one last time to make sure I had everything. I grabbed my phone and its charger then slipped from my window, leaving the light on.

I slid from the roof of my porch like I had a hundred other times, landing softly on my feet. I wasn't heading to the tunnels tonight though; tonight I was starting a new life. I figured I could make it to the state line before Renee even knew I was missing. Even when she did notice, I'm sure she would think I'd be back soon. It'd probably take a week before she became worried; _if _she ever did_. _And by that time I would be safely in Las Vegas making the big bucks and living out my dream. Once I was in my truck I checked the glove box to make sure my fake ID was still inside. That thing cost me two hundred and fifty bucks but it was worth it. The ID looked just like my real one except the birth year had been changed to make me twenty-one instead of sixteen. I pulled the map from the glove box and laid it out on the seat next to me so that I could read it while driving and then I set my sights northwest realizing that I would be home in a little over five hours.

Jasper Cole Whitlock

I slammed my hand down on my alarm clock as soon as it started going off. I rolled out of bed stretching my muscles and looked outside into the dark sky. It was four in the morning, two hours before Riley would be expecting me to come by his house and pick him up for whatever job I had secured that day. I grabbed a separate envelope and slipped a grand into it and the numbers of a few men around town that provided steady work for us. I knew Riley depended on the jobs to help his mom out who worked two jobs herself in order to provide for himself and his two sisters.

I slid on a pair of jeans and grabbed the two duffle bags that contained all of my clothes. I carried them out to my truck tossing them into the backseat along with a smaller bag that held necessities like my deodorant and toothbrush. I grabbed a t-shirt from one of the bags and slipped it over my head. I stepped up into the cab of my truck and slid the key into the ignition listening to the soft rumble of the engine beneath the hood. On my way out of town I stopped by Riley's house depositing the envelope into his mailbox then started driving west.

I wasn't entirely sure where I was going to end up; I just knew I needed to live in a larger city. A city bigger than Austin or Chicago but not quite as large as say New York or L.A. So when I stared at the old yellow map that had hung on my wall since I was a child my eyes kept drifting towards Las Vegas, it was a large city with plenty of odd jobs but small enough to where I could know some people. I didn't know anything about Las Vegas and I sure as hell didn't know anyone in Las Vegas but hey, how hard could it be? Maybe I could get a job as a bouncer on the strip or a day job cleaning a casino. The possibilities would surely be endless.

I had been driving along the interstate for a few hours when I noticed a car pulled over on the side of the highway with its flashers on. I drove by and glanced inside to see if there was anyone I could help but the car was empty. I continued on down the road for a few more miles when I came upon a tiny little thing walking along the side of the road in white hospital scrubs. She had long raven hair that hung to her middle back and beautiful sun kissed skin but her feet were bare. I pulled up alongside her letting the truck idle and rolled down the window.

"Do you need a ride somewhere sweetheart?" Her small head whipped towards the sound of my voice and I was met with the most beautiful pair of crystal blue eyes I'd ever seen.

Emmett Dale McCarty

I groaned looking around as the sun slowly started to rise over the horizon. I grunted rubbing my face and heaved myself up off of the ground where I had slept the night before. I just had to lie low for a few weeks then I would be eighteen and they couldn't send me back into the system. I stretched out my sore and tired muscles before stripping completely naked and wading into the small river to wash off. I rinsed my body and hair, washing away the dirt and grime. Once I was finished I redressed in my sweats and stretched out my calf muscles before continuing to run through the woods.

It didn't take long before I came to where the road met the tree line and looked down the empty street. It was lined with houses, much like the one I had come from, except they weren't run down with shingles and large pieces of paint missing. I slowed to a walk, strolling down the lane as I surveyed the houses. They were full of seemingly happy families living in cookie cutter homes with their perfect children. I noticed a bike sitting up against the fence at one house; it was probably a fourteen or fifteen year olds bike. I looked up and down the street before slipping into the driveway and grabbing the bike. I hopped on it pedaling away as fast as my feet would carry me, the bike moving back and forth between my legs.

I was at the end of the road when an immense amount of guilt washed over me. I should return the bike; I couldn't just steal shit when I needed it. I sighed and looked around, I needed a means of transportation and stealing a bike was nowhere near as bad as stealing a car. I decided to shove my guilt down and return one day to pay the family back for the bike. I turned onto what seemed like a highway and followed it for a few miles before I came up on a gas station.

I left the bike leaning up against the side of the building and walked inside, trying my hardest to look natural. I walked up and down the small aisles casually slipping small bags of chips and candy bars into the front of my hoodie. I kept glancing towards the cashier, a younger girl with pink and black hair who was too preoccupied with the magazine in front of her to know what was going on. I opened the cooler doors in the back as quietly as possible and grabbed two large bottles of water to slide into my pockets of my sweatpants. I walked towards the door with my palms sweating and my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

Once I safely made it around three miles down the road I allowed myself to stop on the shoulder and sit down on the small patch of grass that overlooked rusted old railroad tracks. I pulled a bag of chips out of my pocket and a bottle of water; I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started shoveling handfuls of chips into my mouth. Once I had finished two of the bags, a candy bar and one of the bottles of water I decided that I needed to keep the others for later. I got back on my bike after taking a quick leak behind the only tree on the side of the road and started back down the highway. I had no idea where I was going, I was just going to keep going until I felt safe enough to stop.

Edward Anthony Masen

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a button up shirt; I needed to get out to the strip soon it was nearing eight o'clock and that was the time that all the tourists hit. There was always someone to sell to in Las Vegas, regulars who were always hitting me up, tourists who wanted to take the edge off and live a little, hookers and strippers who just didn't want to remember the night. I loaded up my pockets with a few bags and slipped my glock into the back of my jeans. I was always strapped, always ready for anything that might arise. I had learned to protect myself early on when I arrived and had the shit beat out of me for the couple of bucks in my pocket.

I closed my door behind me making sure it was locked, the deadbolt was on and my alarm system was active. I couldn't trust anyone in this town and the last thing I needed was some homeless dick breaking into my house and finding my stash. I walked down the short sidewalk to my driveway and slipped behind the wheel of my brand new black Camero with windows tinted so dark you couldn't see inside. Like everything else on the strip, the police could be bought so I didn't have any worries there. I drove along the boulevard stopping to check on my two associates who worked for me making sure they had what they needed before continuing on down towards a strip club that I frequented.

I parked my car and set the alarm before nodding my head to the bouncer and slipping a fifty into his hand as I passed by. I looked around the dark room; a regular crowd favorite Trixie was on the stage working the pole like there was no tomorrow. I headed to the back where the girls waited for their turn on stage. I knocked twice on the stage door before walking in. At first, the sight of naked women running around would stop me in my tracks, now it was like second nature.

"Hey baby, do you have something for me tonight?" Lauren purred in my ear while her hand slid down the front of my shirt. I smiled at her and reached into my pocket.

"Don't I always?" I held my hand out, palm up signaling I wanted my money first. When I had started this game I made the mistake of handing out the goods before payment, that's a lesson I had to have beat into me by Aro's boys. Lauren smiled and pulled a folded twenty from the side of her g-string and placed it in the palm of my hand covering it with hers. I slipped the cash into my pocket and ran my hand around her back slipping the small bag of powder behind the thick strap of her bra. I never handed anything out publicly unless it was in my home and that's because I had it swept once a week for bugs and cameras.

"Thank you sweets." She winked and sauntered off into the wave of girls who were getting ready. I made my rounds passing out and collecting money from my regulars and a new girl that decided she wanted a taste tonight. I didn't question it or try and sway a person from getting it, that wasn't my concern. My concern was my money, just like everyone else in this world.

I stepped back out onto the strip after hitting everyone that I could and repeated the same motions with the two other strip joints I sold at. I was driving along the strip when the blue lights lit up my car. I turned my hazards on briefly to signal I knew he was there then made my way off a side street away from the security cameras of casinos. The cop kept his lights on as he walked up to my car tapping on my window. I hit the button to lower it and looked up at Officer Tyler. I nodded my head in an introduction.

"License please." Officer Tyler stated while looking around slowly. I reached into my wallet and pulled out my license. He looked at it briefly, turning away to see it in the light then handed it back to me with a hundred dollar bill resting against the bottom of it. I slipped my license and the money back into my wallet then handed my registration over with a larger bag then what I normally handed out hidden beneath. He nodded and walked back to his car with my registration in his hand. This was all for the camera on his dash, of course if anyone really wanted to look into it they could probably note that he pulled me over once a week.

"Have a good night, Mr. Cullen." Officer Tyler replied once he returned to my car with my registration.

"You too Officer." I threw the registration back into my glove box and drove back onto the strip to enjoy my night.


	3. Day Three

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews guys! I do apologize that I haven't updated in the past two weeks. I've been in the process of changing shifts and working 50+ hours so I've been sleeping and working. That's it. I haven't even had the energy to so much as think about a chapter, much less write it. Soon my schedule will change from updating on Thursdays to either Saturdays or Sundays. I don't know which yet. **

**I didn't obsess over reading this chapter like I normally do so expect errors. **

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_**Day Three**_

Rosalie Lillian Hale

I ordered a pizza and turned my phone off once again before sitting back against the hard faux wood headboard. The cheap comforter scratched my bare legs but it would have to do for today. I wanted to sleep but couldn't, I would only fall asleep for an hour or so before the dreams began. The memories of Royce creeping into my subconscious and it wouldn't be long before I woke up drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. I closed my eyes and let the noise from the old TV drown out the sound of the couple arguing next door.

I moved from the bed when there was a quiet knock on my door. I checked the window and saw the delivery boy standing back from my door looking around nervously. I opened the door slightly and handed him fifteen dollars, enough for my pizza and a tip, taking the cardboard box from him. I closed the door and locked the locks again then set the pizza box down on the small mismatched table by the door. I turned the TV up as the couple next door escalated their argument and things began to slam against the wall. I picked at the slice of pizza starting to wonder if I had made the right decision. I had left my home, the comfort of my bed for this crappy hole in the wall motel to eat delivery pizza and listen to a couple try and murder each other.

For the first time since leaving, home sickness began to creep inside me, wrapping around my stomach and heart. I quickly dismissed it deciding that it was more likely from loneliness. Once I made it to Las Vegas I would be able to get a nice little apartment and make a friend or two. Then it would be like home, only better. I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not I would awake the next morning. As soon as night fell I would be out of here and driving towards the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Mary Alice Brandon

_I had made it to some shitty town in Texas before the car finally gave up on me and sputtered to the side of the road in one final hoorah. I was walking along the side of the road, my scrubs blinding me in the bright light of the sun and my feet killing me from stepping on the small pebbles and broken glass when I heard a truck approaching. Panic began to creep inside me when I realized the possibility of someone finding me and sending me back to that awful place. I looked around trying to find somewhere to run but it was open land as far as I could see. _

"_Do you need a ride somewhere sweetheart?" I heard a thick southern drawl come from behind me and when I turned there was a large truck idled up beside me. Inside a man who couldn't have been older than twenty three was leaning across the console, one arm dangling over the steering wheel. He had dirty blonde hair that hung to his shoulders and dark skin from working in the sun all day. I smiled and walked over to his car clasping onto the open window. I hauled myself up by the running board and leant into his truck. _

"_Depends, where are you heading?" _

"_I'll figure it out when I get there." I smiled and decided what the hell, I could either die on the side of the road while trying to get God knows where or I could get into the car with this handsome stranger. Beside if he killed me it's not like anyone would miss me. I pulled the door handle and moved my feet along his running board just enough to let the door swing open enough for me to slip inside. "So what happened with your car?" _

"_Ran out of gas." _

"_You're lucky I found you, there's not another gas station for about thirteen miles." He pointed in the direction we were driving. "Woulda been hell to walk that far in this heat." I nodded and looked out the w indow to watch the land pass by. "So what's your name?" _

"_Huh?" I looked back over realizing he was speaking to me. _

"_I asked what your name was." I thought it over quickly. My name was Mary Alice or Ally, it always had been but I didn't want to go by that any longer. Allie was my old life, it sounded to 'little girlish' and Mary Alice was what my family had called me. When I used to have a family. _

"_Alice." _

"_Well it's nice to meet you Alice," He tipped his head touching the rim of an invisible hat. "Jasper Whitlock at your service." _

We had been driving forever and I was quickly losing interest in this trip already. Maybe I should've stayed at the asylum; at least I wouldn't have to stare at the stupid desert any longer. I ran a hand through my hair before looking back over the seat at Jasper. I guess it could've been worse. The guy who stopped to pick me up could've been some huge overweight trucker that smelt of fried foods and diesel instead it was Jasper who was very easy on the eyes.

"So what's your story?" Jasper looked over at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why did you just set out on a trip without a destination?" Jasper shrugged.

"Where were you headin'?"

"Anywhere." I replied quietly then looked back out the window.

"You wanna grab something to eat?"

"I don't have any money…" I started to chew on the corner of my lip.

"My treat. I'm starving."

"Can it be a drive through?" I self consciously ran a hand over my scrub pants. Jasper looked over at me, his eyes moving from my legs to my face.

"Anything you want." He smiled easily and I found myself smiling back at him.

Isabella Marie Swan

There was a loud thumping that was currently pulling me above the edge of sleep. I woke up feeling pain shoot through my eyes from the sun's rays that were shining in through my windshield. I looked around as the thumping continued and jumped when I noticed a homeless man trying to smash my passenger side window with an umbrella. I scrambled to the other side of my truck when he reached for the door handle jerking on it. I reached for my ignition and turned my key while pumping the gas. Trying to get my car to start as the homeless man continued to yell and bang on my window. When my truck finally started I threw the gearshift into drive and slammed on the gas, peeling away from the shoulder that I had parked on the night before.

I finally arrived in Las Vegas early in the morning, when the patrons were currently crawling back to their hotel rooms or passed out over a roulette wheel. I had parked on the side of the street and locked my ancient truck doors to sleep across the seat. I wasn't aware that that would lead to someone trying to break into my truck. I drove along the boulevard briefly looking at the families of tourists who were sightseeing. I just wanted to stop somewhere for a quick breakfast then I could look for an apartment. Something cheap but not so cheap that I'd wake up next to a dead crack whore.

I picked up something to eat from a gas station along with a paper and sat in my truck to eat. I glanced at the classifieds skimming over people trying to sale their dogs and cars to the apartment listings. There was very little in my price range, most offering spacious floor plans and uninterrupted views of the city. There was one that listed a one bedroom for three hundred and fifty dollars a month including utilities and it sounded perfect; even had a pool. I started up my truck and maneuvered through the traffic towards the street mentioned in the ad. I pulled up in front of a large apartment complex that looked like it used to be white but was now more of a gray color. It did have a pool filled with green water and was surrounded by a black cast iron fence that had vines intertwined.

I stepped out of my truck and walked up to the apartment door that had LANDLORD scratched into the paint. I knocked on it and waited listening as a man cursed and grunted on the other side. I fidgeted where I was standing and glanced around the complex. There were women in very slinky clothing and high heels walking between apartments or sitting out on the crumbling balconies. A man who appeared to be in his fifties with an intense receding hair line and thick glasses answered the door. His shirt was soaked in sweat and stretched so far across his expanding belly that it didn't touch his jeans. He had suspenders holding his jeans up since they were nestled under his large stomach.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I was wondering about the apartment that you put in the paper." He looked over me with his black eyes and caused a sickening feeling to sink into my stomach. I had watched men look at me like that my whole life.

"Come on in." I stepped into the dimly lit room that had a glass table, one small leather couch with an obvious dip on one side and a tiny little desk with a chair. In the floor next to the couch sat a naked girl who couldn't have been older than me all but passed out. The air had a stench to it and it was obvious bathing and laundry weren't high on his to do list. I could see a bedroom that held only a bare mattress on top of a box spring and a dresser. The man grunted as he sat down in the small chair and I watched the plastic buckle under his weight. I briefly worried that it would snap and send the old man to the ground.

"Do you have a job?"

"Uh, no not yet. I just arrived but I plan to start looking for one right away." The man pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at me.

"Are you going to be able to pay the rent until you find a job?"

"Yes." I nodded quickly.

"The rent is due on the first, if it's not paid by the fourth you're kicked out and your shit is mine. Understand?" I nodded again. "The apartment is 5F, back behind here, three buildings down, top floor. I'll need four hundred today and the regular rent is three fifty." The old man pulled a piece of paper out of a drawer and filled out the apartment number. "Sign here." The man grunted and pointed to the bottom line. I signed my name on the form.

"Here's the money." I whispered pulling five hundred dollars from my pocket and handing him four of it.

"Thanks." He shoved the money in his sweaty jeans and heaved himself out of the seat. "Here's the key." I took the key from him and all but ran from the tiny room. I took a deep breath of fresh air and walked to my truck firing it up again. I drove down the little parking lot to where my building was located. The F was gone but there was a clear white outline where it once resided on the building. When I finally had my bags hauled up the four flights of stairs I unlocked my door though it was pointless because the doorknob was half falling off. I dropped my bags in the middle of the dirty brown carpet and looked around.

The tiny leather couch under the one window matched the landlord's as did the glass coffee table. Other than that there was a mattress on the floor in the bedroom and a wooden dresser missing the bottom drawer. The wallpaper was brown with water stains and peeling in some places, completely missing in others. I would go to the store later this afternoon and pick up some sheets to put on the bed.

"Home Sweet Home." I muttered.

Jasper Cole Whitlock

I drove quietly along the road chancing a few glances at the girl next to me. It had been a crazy turn of events that had led me to her. I was somewhere near the New Mexico and Arizona border when the night had fallen and exhaustion had started to set in. I looked across the seat and Alice was fast asleep against the door, her small body curled up in a tight ball. I pulled off of the road when I noticed a sign for a hotel and pulled into the parking lot. I hoped out and quickly paid for the one room with a double bed then made my way back to the truck.

"Alice…" I rapped on the window causing her to jerk awake, her body stiff as she looked around.

"What? Where am I? What's going on?" She looked around again before her eyes fell on me.

"Hey we're at a hotel for the night. I wanted to let you know." I opened the door and held out a hand. She avoided my hand and slipped from the car to walk towards the line of doors.

"Which room?" She looked around.

"Uh," I checked the small envelope that held our keys. "Room twelve." I grabbed a bag and headed after her unlocking the door. I locked the door behind us and turned back around to check out the room. Alice was standing with her back to me surveying the beds. Before I could react the girl was on her knees in front of me unbuckling my belt. "Woah, what're you doing?" She looked up at me, her blue eyes shining in the darkness.

"Isn't this what you want?" I felt the hard on that had slowly began deflate quickly.

"What I want? No." I picked her up by her arms, my fingers overlapping each other. She was so tiny I couldn't believe she was still alive with as malnourished as she looked. "What did you mean by that?" I brushed her hair from her eyes ignoring the way she flinched away from me.

"I just figured since you were paying for this you would want repayment somehow." She shrugged looking slightly defeated.

"I would never expect a sexual favor from a woman." I muttered and tossed my bag on the bed closest to the door. "Why don't we get showered and go to bed, it's been a long day." Alice nodded and walked quietly to the bathroom closing and locking the door behind her. When I heard the water start I pulled my t-shirt from my body and changed into a pair of athletic shorts before sliding between the sheets. Around thirty minutes later Alice emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam smelling like the hotel shampoo wearing the same white scrubs she had on earlier. "Do you want to borrow something to sleep in? I'm sure I have something you can sleep in."

"No thanks, I'm pretty used to these." She tugged at the scrub top and got into the other bed. I wanted to ask her what she meant by that but it was clear by the way she rolled away from me she didn't want to speak to me any longer. I turned the light off with a sigh and rolled onto my back trying to fall asleep.

Emmett Dale McCarty

I'd been riding all night only stopping to relieve myself and give my legs a few minutes to rest. The last sign I passed told me I was twelve miles outside of Las Vegas but I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it. My legs felt like they weight a hundred pounds each, my sweats were soaked to the point it felt like I had taken a shower fully clothed. I reeked and was in serious need of water. I drank the last portion twenty miles back when I was riding through the desert.

I wiped the sweat off my brow and squinted against the sun as I watched the heat waves come off the road. Just ten more miles and I'd go to a shelter for a shower. I groaned pushing myself harder than I thought possible and started to pedal faster. I was letting the idea of finally getting off this bike fuel me. I had no intention of ending up in Las Vegas at the beginning but as I followed the forests of Utah I ended up in Nevada. The more mileage signs for Vegas that I passed the more I decided to follow the path.

When I finally rode past the Welcome to Las Vegas sign I was so excited I wanted to cry. I rode up and down the streets trying to find a mission or shelter, anywhere that I could get a free shower. I noticed a hotel on the edge of town that had a glass door indicating where their indoor pool was located. I dropped my bike and strolled up to the door pulling my sweatshirt off. I opened the door and was met with the smell of chlorine. It opened into a small entrance, the door on the left led to the pool but you needed a key card to enter. In front of me was a maid who was digging through a cleaning closet and the door on the right led back into the hotel, locked with a key card access of course. I checked to make sure that there weren't any employees lurking around and made my way to the maid's cart. She was preoccupied inside and as I walked by I picked the master key off of her cart.

I hummed walking back to the door that led to the pool and slid the key through the reader. I walked towards the back where a small shower was located to clean off before entering the pool. I stripped to my shorts and turned the water on letting it wash over my sweat covered body. I rinsed off and grabbed one of the towels from the rack to dry off. I slipped my sweat pants back on and walked from the pool room. Before I could change my mind I followed the path through the hotel nodding at workers like I was staying there. I smiled at the girl working the front desk, letting her eyes wonder over my bare chest. _Could I do this? _

I took a deep breath and stepped onto the elevator looking at the rows of buttons. I hit one for the sixth floor and let the elevator take me up. Humming again I walked down the hall to the very end, hotels worked from the doors closest to the elevators out so it would be rare if these were occupied. I slipped the key through the reader and opened the door to an empty hotel room complete with a king size bed, whirlpool and forty inch TV.

"Yeah, I can do this." I let the door close behind me with a smile on my face.

Edward Anthony Masen

I hate nights like this. Nights where there was hardly any business to be had because it was the middle of the week. Businessmen couldn't lie to their wives about having a late meeting yet again; tourists were normally heading home because it was cheaper to fly out in the middle of the week. The girls that worked were the ones who really needed the money and more times than not they didn't have extra cash for coke, just the pills that Lonnie sold on the corner. I sighed and drove down the strip looking for anyone that seemed to be looking to buy. Thursday through Monday I could walk away with five grand a night but on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I was lucky to make three hundred. I checked the strip clubs but they only had four or five guys inside who looked on drink from death.

I raked a hand through my hair before hitting the wall on the way out. I fucking hated not making money; it was a waste of my time to even drive to the strip. I moved to my car stopping when I noticed a regular of mine lying on the sidewalk. I slowly made my way around the car to where he was lying.

"Hey Ty," I nudged his foot with mine. "Get up man." I crouched down and saw the tube tied around his bicep. "Ah shit men, what'd you do?" I grabbed my cell calling 9-1-1.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Yeah I think this guy overdosed." I shake Ty again by grabbing his shirt. "C'mon Ty, wake up man."

"What makes you think it's an overdose?"

"He's got a fucking needle sitting by him and he's not waking up lady, what do you think?"

"What's your location?"

"Flamingo Road, near where it intersects with the Boulevard."

"We have paramedics on the way, I'll stay on pho-" I disconnected the call. I quickly searched his pockets for any drugs left on his body. I pulled the small plastic bag of off white powder. I rubbed the powder between my fingers before touching it briefly to my tongue.

"Heroin Ty, really?" I sighed hearing the sirens of the ambulance. I quickly tucked the bag into my pocket. I didn't want him to catch a drug charge on top of this. When the ambulance turned onto the street I got in my car and drove away. I wasn't going to stand around and give a statement or some shit. I drove towards my house praying some dickbag cop didn't pull me over while I was holding. I knew most the cops and most of them knew me but a new group of rookies just came through the academy. They're all bright eyed and full of justice. Dumb fucks.

I pulled into my garage and waited until the door closed behind me before grabbing my bag from the backseat and walking inside. I tossed the bag into the safe before kicking the door closed and walking to my kitchen. I pull my phone from my back pocket when it starts to ring.

"Hello?"

"Edward, how are you?" I smiled.

"I'm good Esme, how are you and Carlisle?" Esme sighed into the phone.

"We're good, wishing you would come around."

"I'll try and make a trip out there soon." Carlisle was a plastic surgeon who made quite a lot of money off the insecurities of women in this town. He found me when Aro's guys had beaten the shit out of me and took me back to his house to stitch up my face. The next day I woke up scared to death and bolted running back to my shitty two bedroom apartment that I shared with four other guys. I found his card in my jean pocket that night and found myself calling it three weeks later when I was shot in the shoulder during a buy. I spent a month at their house recovering from a bullet wound. During that time I told Esme about my real parents and running away from home. I told her about Aro and his business. I realize now that I put both their lives in danger telling her everything I knew.

"You know we miss you Edward, it's been five months since we've seen you."

"I sleep all day but I'll try and make it over soon."

"That's all I'm asking." I hear her smile through the phone.

"I'm going to head to bed now though, I'll call you tomorrow."

"You better." I laugh and disconnect the call. I walk upstairs to my room after engaging the alarm. Esme had asked me several times to get out of the game, move in with her and get a real job. I also denied her request, telling her this is who I was. It was all I've ever known. Truth is, I was use to this life, and I was used to the lap of luxury. Before I ran from home I lived in a huge six bedroom house with my parents and had everything handed to me at the drop of a hat. When I ran away it was the struggling I wasn't accustomed to and I refused to ever live like that again. If dealing was the way I was going to continue to live this lifestyle then I'd deal til the day I died.


	4. Day Seventeen

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews guys! This chapter is about two weeks after the last. **

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_**Day Seventeen**_

Rosalie Lillian Hale

I walked down the strip towards the club that was hiring dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a green tank top. I didn't know what one wore to a job interview, I had never had to get a job but I figured if I was just interviewing for the job of a waitress it really didn't matter. The sun beat down on my skin causing a thin layer of sweat to form over my body. I had dyed brown before I left the hotel in Bakersfield to try and disguise myself just a little bit. I pulled my hair into a high pony tail to try and cool down. I knew what assets I had and if they helped me get the job then I would put them all on display.

I needed money, badly. I had run through a little over two thousand dollars in just two weeks, between the twelve hundred I had to drop on my apartment for a deposit and first month's rent and the furniture I had to buy along with food, my money was going to run out very quickly. I had four thousand left but my rent was seven hundred a month and I decided my food would wind up being about two hundred a month; my money would dwindle away in just a few months. That's why I started looking for a job and I had to find one that would hire a sixteen year old or at least one that would ignore my age for a little while.

I found the bar easily enough; it was a brick building painted a dark blue color with two big windows that had been painted black; the glass on the door had been painted black as well. A wooden sign was nailed to above the door with the name of the bar painted on it by hand. "The Black Hole" seemed like a dingy, run down building and I was sure the inside would just reiterate that idea. I pulled on the metal handle of the glass door and stepped inside. The place was abandoned, empty tables set up at various places around the room, seven curtains in the back of the room with a neon sign that spelled VIP and an empty stage that came out halfway through the open floor with one silver pole.

The door on the far right swung open and out walked a woman who couldn't have been older than twenty three with a cut off shirt baring the bar's name and a pair of leather shorts that would've passed more for underwear. She had long black hair that hung to her waist with hot pink streaks and heavy eye makeup. The woman was carrying a wooden crate full of bottles through the room where she heaved it up to the top of the wooden bar.

"Are you Rosalie?" She asked her voice rough.

"Yes, I'm Rosalie Hale, here for an interview." She stood behind the bar looking me over a few times.

"Have you ever worked in a bar?"

"Um, no." She raised an eyebrow.

"Have you ever worked around drunken men?"

"Technically, yes." I remembered the multiple parties my father would throw where I was expected to bring trays of drinks to the room where he and his friends would reside.

"Well come by at 8 o'clock tonight to set up with the other girls and we'll see how you do. If you do a good job, you'll stay, if not, you'll go." She shrugged. "You'll get paid three dollars an hour, cash, and you get to keep anything you earn." I nodded. "Here's a shirt," She tossed a hot pink shirt to me with a big black circle on the front. "Wear something on the bottom that doesn't show your ass or anything else but no long pants, understand? Show off your legs." I nodded again gripping the shirt in my hands. "Go." She waived a hand and I quickly turned to leave, slipping out the door into the bright sunlight.

I needed to go home, shower, shave and find something presentable to wear with my shirt for my new job. I wondered briefly what my parents were doing, if they were looking for me. Had they notified the police? Were they playing the grieving parents for the camera? I walked back towards my apartment swinging my shirt in my hand as I smiled against the sun, letting my body soak in the rays. I'd hope there wouldn't be any paperwork to fill out or they'd find out my real age and I would more than likely end up on my ass. I had worked a temporary summer job back home the summer before my sophomore year to get experience for college. I only lasted a month working at the local pretzel shop. There was no way I would cut it again so I really hoped this job worked out where I could leave every night with cash in my pocket.

Mary Alice Brandon

It'd been two weeks since I left Jasper's side. We had come into Las Vegas and he offered to let me stay with him until I could get on my feet but I quickly turned him down. He gave me a thousand dollars and sent me on my way. The first thing I had done was bought a few outfits from the Goodwill and two pair of shoes. I changed in their fitting room, shoving my scrubs in a trashcan on the way out. I had nowhere to stay, three pairs of shorts, two shirts, one bra, a pair of sandals and a pair of tennis shoes. I stayed at a shelter every night for the first week, drifting in and out of stores trying to find a job during the day. This week I had been turned down at every single job interview I had been on because of my lack of a license, social security card and any other kind of identification.

You can't stay at the shelter during the day so today I have to find somewhere to stay until nightfall. I walked up and down the strip trying to find any kind of job that would be off the books, I had eight hundred dollars in my pocket and I had to be smart with it. I spent the minimum amount for food three times a day and kept snacks with me in case I decided not to eat. I was wandering around with nowhere in mind when I ended up off the strip in a back alley somewhere that was lined with half broken doors. Red neon lights filtered out into the small alley from the shattered windows.

"Hey little girl," A large man stepped out of the door adjusting his belt with a warped smile on his face. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Just took a wrong turn, I was just leaving." I gripped my plastic bag that held all my belongings and tried to step around him. He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and held me out away from his body.

"You looking for a job?" A sickening feeling crept into my stomach. Not around here, I wasn't.

"No thank you."

"Well that's too bad; I'd spend a pretty little penny on you. Probably be willing to drop a good three hundred for the day, even more if you're a virgin." I tried to walk back the way I had come but another man had appeared behind me. I bit the inside of my bottom lip refusing to cry. "How about you Roy?"

"Yeah, that's a fair price, of course when we finish she won't be worth that much." Both men chuckled.

"Whad'ya say we show you a good time little girl? There's a room open right down there, we have a good time and you make a little money?" He nodded his head back behind me. The man named Roy wrapped a large arm around my shoulders to take me back towards the direction he was pointing. My eyes searched the windows frantically, praying for someone to appear and save me; anyone at all to get me away from here. There was no way I'd be able to escape them, they were so much larger than I was.

"This'll work John." He pushed me into a doorway and I lost my footing falling back on a dirty mattress. The room smelt of mold and dirt, it was so dark I couldn't see three feet in front of me if it wasn't in the direct light spilling in from the open door. Something brushed against my arm as it scurried off the mattress causing me to yelp. "It'll be alright girl, just a mouse." He kicked the door closed behind him drowning the room in complete darkness.

Isabella Marie Swan

I moved from the window to the bed wearing nothing but a matching black lace thong and bra, my hair and makeup had been professionally handled. I painted on a smile, crossing one leg over the other; my heels remained on as I waited for my date to come out of the bathroom. This was his first time as it was my first night that sex would be included. When I was approached for this job the woman had told me that I would only have to be a companion, go to company dinners and formal events with them for as long as I wanted.

Three hundred for a date, six hundred for sex but I always turned those kinds of dates down until the night my apartment was broken in to and all my belongings were stolen. I had called Jamie the same evening and asked for the next six hundred dollar date that came available. She called me three days later letting me know a business man had just approached her and wanted me for the night. I smiled knowing I would be walking out of her building with six hundred dollars after the night was over.

I shifted on the bed running my hands over the comforter. It wasn't a five star hotel but it certainly wasn't my apartment. I waited silently, swinging my foot as I heard "Mark" moving around the bathroom. Very rarely did these men give me their real names. I was a prostitute, no doubt about it but at least I wasn't walking the streets at night and getting into any John's car that came up offering me twenty bucks. This was a little safer, I wasn't an escort where they did background checks and paid you eight thousand dollars but I wasn't a hooker. That was what I had to hold on to, that I wasn't at the lowest point. Not yet.

"Mark" walked from the bathroom, his shirt unbuttoned, his tie and jacket discarded somewhere out of sight. He was nervously moving across the short distance to me. He ran a hand through his graying hair and smiled at me before stroking my cheek. I smiled through the nervousness and slid my hands up his thighs until they reached his waistband. I slowly unbuttoned and unzipped his dress pants letting them fall to the floor.

"Relax Mark." I smiled and slid backwards toward the headboard until I was laying back, my head on the pillows. He smiled and slowly crawled up my body kissing my skin along the way.

"You really are beautiful." I smiled up at him before pressing my lips to his neck and letting my hands stroke his erection through the thin material of his boxers. He fumbled with my bra and by the time he reached my panties his hands were shaking so hard I thought he'd end up in a panic attack; I had to place the condom on him or he would've snapped it in half. The sex was unremarkable, nothing like the sex I had with Jacob. It was quick and rehearsed, like he was performing for someone. I moaned and moved at the moments I was supposed to and pretended to be completely satisfied when he collapsed on top of me.

I moved from underneath him, sliding my undergarments back on and grabbing my dress. I quickly slipped it back over my body and placed my heels on my feet. "Mark" was fast asleep, snoring away above the covers. I bent down and reached for his wallet removing it from his pants. I opened it to look at his ID, Jonathan Mark Riley. _I'll be damned, his name is Mark. _Next to the ID was a picture of two children, neither older than six. I sighed and quietly moved out of the room after returning his wallet, letting the door softly latch behind me and made my way to the elevator. Who cares if he had kids? Who cared if he was married? This was all on him. Once I was on the street I decided to pick up my money and celebrate with a drink. I stopped by Jamie's office and slid my key into my lockbox. I pulled the envelope out and slid the cash into my wallet, then locked my box back and tossed the envelope.

I walked along the strip with a smile on my face and an unsatisfied longing between my legs. I didn't need to focus on that though, for now I would have a drink and go back to my apartment to sleep. I stepped inside the closest bar I could find and sat at the bar ordering a martini. The bartender smiled a blinding white smile at me with a wink before placing my drink in front of me. I sipped it slowly watching the bartender help other customers, his muscles moving beneath his tight white t-shirt. His light hair hung to the middle of his neck and his eyes were bright and expressive. I really wanted to see what he was keeping behind those tight broken in blue jeans. I decided at that moment that I would, even if I had to wait around here until last call.

Jasper Cole Whitlock

I had nothing but luck the entire time since deciding to leave that small town in Texas for the larger one in Nevada. The only strike of bad luck was being unable to hold on to that lovely little Alice when we got here. I had secured an apartment right off the strip, a modestly sized two bedroom home with one bathroom and a small kitchen. I agreed to pay a thousand dollars a month for it but I only needed one bedroom. I had chosen the two bedroom apartment hoping that I would stumble upon Alice again and offer her a place to stay. I knew that thousand dollars wasn't going to get her anywhere but I wanted to do whatever I could.

Once Alice left me I started looking for a job as a musician, my real passion. I settled for the job as a bartender at a local hole in the wall bar making seven dollars an hour plus tips. It certainly wasn't the money I was used to but I had been able to save enough to live comfortably until I could make a little more. I had survived this long doing nothing but odd jobs, what difference would a little while longer make? Tonight seemed to be another lucky night though as a beautiful brunette who sat at my bar began eyeing me from the beginning. To say that I didn't want to be buried balls deep in her would be a lie but I'll be damned if that little black haired pixie wouldn't leave my mind. I moved around the bar unable to ignore her eyes on me as I filled drinks and chatted with a few patrons. I slowly made my way back down the bar towards her.

"Hi," I smiled leaning over the bar in front of her. "How are you doin' tonight darlin'?"

"Well, yourself?" She smiled at me running her fingers over the stem of her glass.

"Better since you walked into this little bar." She laughed pushing a lock of her mahogany hair back over her shoulder.

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Very rarely, actually," I winked again before moving down the bar to fulfill a drink order then moved back to the young lady who currently had my attention. "So you gonna be here long?"

"As long as you are." She smiled and I felt my dick respond to those beautiful lips.

"Well I get off at one."

"Then I'll get off at one thirty." She winked and moved to the small dance floor, swaying her body to the beat thumping from the old jukebox.

Emmett Dale McCarty

I sat on an uneven bench that groaned under my weight wrapping my hands in tape, letting it sit snugly over my already busted knuckles and wrapped it twice around my wrists to protect them. I kept the ice pack on my shoulder until I could no longer feel it and wrapped the tape around my ankles before slipping on my boots. I could hear the men yelling and applauding outside the small door that held the area where we would get ready before stepping out under the harsh lights of the arena. I pressed the ice pack to my swollen jaw trying to stop the shooting pain of a fractured bone.

When I arrived I couldn't find a job doing anything, not even cleaning a fucking floor for an old man. The hotel that I had been staying at discovered me after only three days and the police were called. I bolted as soon as they arrived, running as far down the strip as I could before the rain started to pick up. I was sitting against a wall under a bar's awning to stay out of the rain when a man approached me. He was about the same size as me; probably an inch smaller but he had a few years on me. He was yelling that I couldn't stay there, I couldn't be loitering. I stood and begged him to let me stay there just until the rain stopped, that I had nowhere to go and I wasn't bothering anyone. The man kept yelling about the fucking homeless always bothering him and that's when it happened. He hit me square in the jaw and caused me to fall back against the wall.

I grabbed his shirt, my fist connecting with his nose then his jaw, blood quickly spilling from his face and onto the concrete below where he lie. He quickly recovered and stood, lunging for me again. I hit him a few times in the ribs until he fell and stayed down. That's when I was approached by a man named Lincoln Redding, wearing a very expensive suit and a smile. He handed me a business card asking if I needed work. Mr. Redding informed me that the very exclusive club he ran paid young men like me for a gambling service. The first night I showed up I had no idea what to expect, he had a doctor look me over, run a few tests including a physical then threw me in the middle of a concrete slab with a florescent light over it.

The building was an old metal warehouse in the middle of the desert with one door in and out. The men would stand around the concrete slab smoking and drinking while two guys went at each other, only one was allowed to leave. They bet on the men, on who would kill who first. When I won the first night, I got four hundred dollars. Mr. Redding told me the more fights I won, the more men I killed, the more money I would get. Mr. Redding paid for me to stay in a hotel that night to be cleaned up and get ready for the following fight. He provided me with a cell phone to stay in touch and a banking account so he could deposit my earnings; this way, he said, I never touched the blood money. I had cried that first night, the man's face that I killed played over and over in my head as I got shitfaced drunk and broke the hotel's television by throwing an empty bottle of jack into it. The next day Mr. Redding assured me that he would handle everything and not to worry.

I fought four nights in a row after that, every night I would come back to the hotel and wash their blood from my hands, chest and face. The doctor would come in the next morning, check me out and clear me for another fight. By the end of that week I had made four thousand and fifty dollars. The money was just sitting in the bank; Mr. Redding still provided everything for me. Food, a place to stay, spending money, clothing, everything I wanted, he bought.

"Emmett, three minutes." I nodded and stood up working my shoulder a few times. I pushed aside the flimsy door and stepped outside looking at the large crowd. Since I had begun fighting the crowd had doubled in size. Mr. Redding assured me that if I won tonight, I would make ten thousand dollars. Everything was riding on this night but I had yet to see the man I was fighting. From the door on the other side of the room a very large black man stepped out, he had four inches on me, at least fifty pounds and a huge tattoo on the top of his head. By the time I stepped onto that concrete slab and flexed my hands I knew tonight would be the night I died.

Edward Anthony Masen

I walked into the Bellagio nodding at the few people I knew as I made my way back to the area known as Hyde. I handed the woman at the door thirty dollars for my entry fee and stepped inside, looking around for who I was meeting. I pulled on the lapels of my suit jacket and stepped further inside smiling at a few women. I sat on the couch that faced the large window displaying the iconic Fountains of Bellagio and waited. I ordered a scotch and sipped it gingerly watching the water splash into the pool below.

"Edward." Aro stated simply and sat next to me ordering a glass of wine for himself.

"Aro." I nodded resting my left ankle against my right knee.

"This is highly unusual." Aro thanked the girl that brought his drink.

"I agree, but necessary." I sipped my drink.

"So you say, Edward."

"I found your guys in my jurisdiction again Aro, we had an agreement."

"Edward, Edward, Edward, when will you learn? You are a foolish boy and I was in this game before you were even a twinkle in your father's eye. I own this city boy, as my father owned the Bronx and my grandfather owned Los Angeles." I rolled my eyes, I had heard this all before.

"Aro, when will you learn not to cross me? If I see your men in my area again, I'll shoot them, I warned you before Aro and I'm warning you again." I growled before standing up. "You may view me as a boy but I handle situations like this as any other man would." I straightened my suit, stepped out of Hyde and exited the Bellagio. I handed the valet my ticket and waited patiently as my black Camero came into view. I handed the man a fifty dollar bill and slipped into the custom leather seats. I moved through the streets watching the people pass by but searching for two, the two men that Aro always sends. I knew after our discussion Aro would send them out to test me, two men Aro always sent for his dirty work. They would have one rule; kill me if I interfered in their business.

I parked in the street and stepped inside a strip club watching the girl on stage in a cowgirl outfit, her fake tits bouncing wildly as she rode the pole. I sighed and sat at the bar ordering another scotch. I downed it quickly, dropped a twenty on the bar and walked through the darkness to the other side of the room. I thought briefly about getting a private dance and seeing if I could convince her to come out back with me, not that it ever took much convincing. I sat at a table in the back corner to wait and checked my watch, eleven thirty four. It wouldn't be too long now, if they showed they'd be here soon. I watched as the next act slowly took the stage, her black and pink hair swaying with her movements. A waitress came up to my table wearing a pink shirt with the bar's logo that barely concealed her tits and a tiny pair of plaid shorts that left nothing to the imagination.

"Can I get you something?" Her brown hair hung around her shoulders.

"Uh, yeah a scotch." I smiled causing her to smile a fake smile right back at me. My eyes stayed on her ass as she walked away.

"Here ya go." She leaned over my table a minute later to place the glass in front of me.

"Thanks, you dancing tonight?" She looked from me to the stage then back to me.

"No," She laughed. "I could never do that." She pointed to the girl who had removed all her clothing except for the tiny thong and was gyrating on the floor.

"You mean dance or expose yourself like that?"

"Both." Hmm…a girl in Vegas with some modesty still left, she must be new.

"How long you been here?"

"Where?"

"Vegas."

"Two weeks," She smiled. "Is it obvious?"

"A little, but I won't tell anyone," I winked and at that moment I noticed the two men I had been waiting for step into the dark bar, their faces momentarily illuminated by the multicolored lights that bounced off the stage. "I'd love to talk to you sweetheart but there's something that requires my attention." I slipped a fifty dollar bill from my wallet and pressed it to her hand. "Thanks for the drink." I pushed my wallet back to the inside pocket of my suit and moved from the table towards the door.

Even in the low lighting I would've been able to spot Demitiri and Marcus with their big square heads and large frames. They had Italian written all over them and the stench of the Voluturi followed anyone who worked for them. I stepped behind the two as they made their way to the back of the club where the girls got ready and the private booths were set up. Demitiri nodded to Marcus and stepped into one of the VIP booths while Marcus continued to the dressing room. I wondered momentarily which one I should go after first.

The music picked up on stage drowning out any sound except for the drunken men in the front yelling and calling for the two girls on stage. I moved the curtain aside quickly and stepped inside the small room that had one table and one small couch for entertaining. Demitiri's back was to me as he removed his coat. I picked the bottle of champagne up from the table and brought it down hard over the back of his head. I slammed my fist into his ribcage a few times before slamming him face down against the table. I jammed the broken neck of the bottle into his side and twisted letting the blood pour out. I stopped to catch my breath, ran a bloody hand through my hair and straightened my jacket. I grabbed the rag that was originally wrapped around bottle and wiped my knuckles clean before stepping out of the booth making sure no one noticed me. I walked back to the dressing room moving in and out of the crowd of girls doing their makeup and getting ready to go on stage.

"Selina," I stopped the regular redhead who always bought from me. "You see another guy back here?"

"You mean that asshole that almost knocked me down? He ran out the backdoor after someone." She pointed one manicured finger towards the emergency exit that didn't have an alarm. I pushed through the door and noticed Marcus grabbing one of the dancers and bringing the back of his hand down across her face.

"Marcus, what the fuck are you doing?" I yelled causing him to whip around, knocking the girl to the ground.

"Edward," He snarled. "Why don't you go back inside and mind your own god damn business?"

"You know I've never been able to do that." I walked towards him, my fingers itching to grab my gun.

"Yeah, that's always been your downfall." Marcus reached inside his jacket but I was quicker, I always had been. I had my gun drawn and already fired two bullets into his chest before he could even pull his from inside his coat. I shot him again between the eyes ignoring the screams of the girl on the ground.

"Why don't you go back inside now? You didn't see anything, you hear me?" She nodded frantically, her pupils dilated so much that you could barely make out the green of her iris. She was so high I was pretty sure she wouldn't even remember this come tomorrow. I placed my gun back inside my jacket, securing it in the holster and walked out of the alley to my car.


	5. Day Eighteen

**A/N: Thank you guys for your reviews. I have a blog where you'll be able to get outtakes later on and pictures of different **_**stuff. **_**Be aware it's a blog for both my stories so make sure you're looking at the right thing, these stories are **_**drastically **_**different lol. The blog- leadmeintotemptation. Wordpress. com **

.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O .O.O.

**Day Eighteen **

Rosalie Lilian Hale

My first night I had made about fifty dollars in tips but the night was cut short by the police. Someone had been murdered in the alley behind the club and when the police came in to investigate they found a second body in one of our VIP booths. I was questioned for an hour straight about who I had seen, who had been in the club that night and when the two men arrived. Honestly I couldn't remember when the guys got there; I couldn't even remember seeing them. All I remembered were a few guys trying to grab my ass and the guy that pretty much thought I was a virgin.

The guy that I had been serving mentioned that he noticed I hadn't been around long but the entire time he was speaking with me his eyes would scan the crowd. Could that have been the guy that killed those men? He didn't seem dangerous, but I knew better than anyone those men were the ones to stay away from. The men that seemed harmless and charming at first were the ones who could knock you to the ground without a second thought behind closed doors.

I sighed and moved from the bed that I had purchased from a discount store. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as my bed at home but it would suffice. I had yet to change from my uniform but it was barely four in the morning. I had just gotten home an hour ago and all I wanted to do was sleep. I walked into the bathroom and started the shower pulling my money from my pockets and tossing the bills into the drawer that held my makeup. If that guy came back to the club tonight I was going to ask him about the men they found. Ask him if he had something to do with it because of how uneasy he appeared the whole time.

Then again I wondered if that would be a smart choice. If he killed those men without a second thought what would stop him from killing me? If I started to question him would he murder me when I was leaving work? Or would he just shake it off and pretend like he didn't know anything? He probably had nothing to do with it. It was just a coincidence that he left and an hour later the cops showed up looking for the murderer. I debated over whether to leave it alone or to really confront this stranger. Well, my father always said I wasn't a very smart girl.

Mary Alice Brandon

I couldn't move or open my eyes; all I could do was feel. Feel the pain that was coursing through my body. The screaming from next door is what awoke me, a woman sounding like she was being murdered and for all I knew, she could've been. This place wasn't exactly covered by neighborhood watch. I refused to open my eyes, refused to see the men that had been in the room with me. I stuck my hand out, sliding it across the worn mattress and gripped the edges of my plastic bag. I continued to run my hand along the rotten floor until I found my shorts and picked them up.

I finally opened my eyes trying to see in the dark room but I couldn't see very far. It must have been very late or very early because there was no longer any light coming in from under the door. I slid my shorts on wincing at the pain that shot up my back and through my legs. I picked up the torn shirt and sighed going through my bag for a new one. I slipped it over my head and picked up my bag, I needed to get the hell out of here and quick. I picked up the cash that they had thrown on the mattress shoving it into my pockets and slid my shoes on. I pulled open the door looking up and down the alley before leaving the way I had come in. I located the main street and stood under a street light looking down at my clothes. My shorts had blood stained on the leg and my leg was bleeding. I had bruises on my thighs and wrists and I knew that my eye was swollen from the tightness surrounding it.

I walked along the sidewalk trying to remember the way to the shelter when I noticed a car pulling up next to me. I walked faster refusing to relive the nightmare that I had just been a part of. The car idled next to me for a few seconds then drove away. I tried to calm my racing heart as I searched for a street sign. I knew I was lost but I couldn't stop, not when people thought I was a hooker working the strip. I came along a neon light in the shape of a red cross and hours of operation on the door. It was a free clinic and it had an emergency room attached to it. I quickly pushed through the door looking around for a nurse.

"Can I help you?" Someone called from behind the desk.

"I think I need to see a doctor." She stood up to grab a clipboard and pen before looking up at me.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" She rushed around the counter looking at my face. I flinched from her touch backing away. "Come on back, I have an exam room open." I followed her down the short hallway that had three doors and into a white exam room. "Sit on the table; I'll have the doctor in right away. Do you want us to report this for you?" I felt my eyes water.

"I wish you could but I don't think it was rape, they paid me." I cried harder, my entire body shaking.

"Oh honey, it doesn't matter. Change into this gown so we can document everything." She handed me a pale blue paper gown and once she was gone I slowly changed into it, sitting back on the table. A few seconds later there was a knock at the door and in walked a tall blonde man wearing a white lab coat.

"Hi," He spoke softly with a smile on his face. "My name is Dr. Cullen; can I have your name?"

"A-Alice." I cleared my throat.

"It's nice to meet you Alice," He took a seat on the opposite side of the room from me. I noticed that he moved slowly and kept his voice even. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Not really," I shook my head picking at the skin on my fingers. "I just um, I need to make sure I'm okay." I whispered.

"Of course," He stood and pulled a camera from the drawer. "Do you mind if I document your injuries?" I shook my head and he walked towards me raising his hand to push my hair back. I flinched and begged him not to touch me. "I'm sorry, Alice, Alice, can you hear me?" I slowed my breathing down and opened my eyes.

"I-I'm so sorr-"

"Nothing to apologize for. Would you feel better if I asked Ms. Cope to come back in here?" I nodded and he left the room. He returned a few seconds later with the woman he referred to as Ms. Cope. She smiled softly at me and took my hand. She stayed with me the entire time, through every poke, prod and swab she held tightly to my hand. Dr. Cullen stood up and sealed everything before leaving the room saying he'd return in just a minute.

"Do you have somewhere to go tonight dear?" I nodded and licked at my busted lip. "Good, I'd hate for you to be alone." She ran a hand over my head. I blinked back the tears knowing that I would be alone as soon as I left here. Dr. Cullen returned asking if I wanted to take a pill to avoid pregnancy.

"Yes." I took the small cup of water and the two pills from him.

"One is for a pregnancy the other is to avoid any STD's. I would like for you to come back in a month to be tested again, is that possible?" I nodded taking the pills. "Good now do you have a way home?" I looked between the two of them and nodded. I could catch a bus surely. I left the clinic and headed south trying to find a bus stop or a payphone to call a taxi. I finally wandered far enough to run into the shelter but they told me they were full for the night and no one was allowed in after ten anyway. I found a diner and ordered a hot chocolate and pie.

While eating I noticed a man who kept staring at me from the corner of the room. He was searching my face as if he recognized me from somewhere. I kept my head down, letting my hair shield my face in case he did know who I was or where I came from. I slowly ate the pie, dragging it out as long as I could so that I had somewhere to stay. By the time the early breakfast patrons started arriving the man in the corner stood up to leave. As he walked to the door he placed a business card on my table with a number written in pen on the back.

_Best in Show Escort Service_

Isabella Marie Swan

I slowly opened my eyes trying to figure out where I was. I yawned stretching beneath the heavy comforter until my hand hit something hot and hard. I looked to my right and discovered a man with a mass of dark hair fast asleep next to me. He was on his stomach facing the other direction but I could see the hard planes of his back. I sat up looking around, there were no water stains or ripped wallpaper which meant I certainly wasn't at my place.

I slipped from the bed and pulled my clothes back on trying to be as quiet as possible. I tried to recall the guy's name but I was failing miserably. Did he even tell me his name? Surely he did. _Ah, Nick; _the bartender from the Dark Shadows bar. I ran a hand through my hair and picked up my heels before slipping from his apartment. I walked downstairs and out onto the street before slipping my heels back on and calling for a cab. The sun was just rising over the horizon when the taxi pulled up. I gave him the address to my apartment and sat back watching the scenery fly by. I paid the driver and walked up to my apartment when I noticed Angela, my neighbor, sitting outside her door.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Angela looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot.

"Nothing just needed some air." I nodded.

"Do you want to come inside?"

"Uh, nah but you can come to my place. I have some friends over." I shrugged figuring I could stand to know some people in this city.

"Sure, let me change and I'll be right over." Angela nodded and looked back out over the parking lot. I changed quickly and walked across the small porch that connected our doors and knocked a few times. A boy with short blonde hair and brown eyes opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Angela."

"Ah, she's in the bedroom with Ben. Come on in." He slurred moving over. I stepped inside to find three people, two girls and a guy, sitting around a glass table with white powder sprinkled across the top. The girl was going on and on about something I had no interest in but she was talking a mile a minute. "You lookin' for some fun?" The guy that had let me in held up a bottle of rum.

"It's seven in the morning."

"We haven't been to bed yet." One of the girls from the floor laughed.

"What's it going to hurt?" The second guy asked. "But if you'd like you can start out small." He pulled another bag from his pocket. It was clearly filled with weed and it wasn't like I had never gotten high before so I nodded and sat down next to him.

Jasper Cole Whitlock

I slowly woke up not opening my eyes. I had had an amazing night. After I got off of work I found the brunette from earlier waiting for me outside the bar. We had walked back to my place, talking about nothing important. When we got back to my apartment I treated her to a little food and a lot of wine. It wasn't long before we were making out on my couch. We moved from the couch to my bed, to the floor then to the wall. After we showered together and had another round with the water rushing over us.

I groaned, unsure of what exactly caused me to arise this early until I felt it again. Something warm sliding down my cock and it was delicious. I opened my eyes and found the girl from last night between my legs, her glorious mouth sliding up and down my shaft. I moaned and gripped her hair to guide her along as she swallowed around me. I had definitely made the right decision in bringing this girl back to my house. It didn't take long before I was tightening my grip on her hair and thrusting my hips faster up into her throat. I gripped her arms and quickly jerked her up towards my face, letting her settle over my hips before pushing inside her wetness.

She moaned rocking her hips in time with my thrusts as she braced herself above me. My fingers dug into her hips, pushing and pulling her faster, both of us trying to outdo the other. I was determined to bring her to the edge before me. I held tight to her hips, keeping her still as I pounded into her pussy, my skin slapping against hers. It wasn't long before she was trembling and writhing above me.

"Fuck." I emptied into her panting and trying to catch my breath. She moved from the bed and gathered her clothes before I could realize what was happening.

"I had a lot of fun Jasper, I'll see you around." She smiled walking from my bedroom and a few seconds later the front door shut. This had to be the greatest city on earth.

Emmett Dale McCarty

_Beep...Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep_

Pain was radiating throughout my entire body, it hurt so bad I couldn't even open my eyes. I tried to remember why I was in so much pain but it hurt too much.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep _

What was that fucking sound and why can't anyone shut it off?

_Beep…Beep…Beep_

I'm going to lose my shit if I hear that sound one more time. I slowly opened my eyes but pain shot through my head at the sight of the bright light flooding my vision. The pounding in my head was so loud I couldn't hear the stupid beeping anymore but I'd rather have heard it then experience this level of pain. I blinked a few times groaning at the harsh light above me.

"Emmett?" I groaned again trying to take a deep breath but it hurt too badly. Sharp pain shot through my right side. "Emmett just try to breathe slowly." The soft voice coaxed me. I squinted against the light again, waiting for my vision to clear. A female's face came into my vision; she had black hair and bright green eyes. I winced when I shifted in the bed trying to sit up. "No, no, no you stay right there." Her hands were on my shoulders keeping me in the position I was already in.

"I need," I started to gasp for air. "I need."

"Emmett, you need to stay lying down with the oxygen on, you have three broken ribs on the right side of your body and if you were to move to quickly one of them could puncture your lung. I need you to cough for me."

"What?" I cleared my throat, my voice was deep and rough sounding foreign to my own ears.

"Cough for me, it's to decrease the chance of pulmonary complications. So cough," I coughed once clenching my teeth against the pain. "And again," I coughed again feeling my eyes start to water. I was not going to fucking cry like a bitch though. "One more time, I know how bad it hurts, believe me." She placed her hand on my stomach and pressed when I cough causing me to grip the flimsy white sheet. "Now take a deep breath."

"You're fucking joking, right?"

"Nope."

"I can barely breathe."

"This will help," She picked up a white pack and squeezed it in her hands a few times. "Now take a deep breath." I took a deep breath squeezing my eyes shut. She pressed what I assumed was an ice pack against my ribs relieving a small fraction of the pain. "So what happened to you?" I started to remember the night before, the man holding me down and slamming his huge fists into me over and over. All I could think was how I didn't want to die, how I refused to die so soon after leaving that hell hole.

"I uh, got into a fight."

"Pretty serious fight, most people just come through with broken noses and black eyes."

"I've always been pretty different. How'd I wind up here?"

"Your father brought you in but he left after we admitted you, some dad." She laid the ice against me and it wasn't until she brought my attention to it that I noticed the bandages wrapped around my left ankle and both wrists.

"What are all of my injuries?"

"Two broken ribs, one cracked, a concussion, fractured fibula," She pointed to my ankle. "Two broken toes which aren't our top concern, fractured radius," She motioned towards my wrist. "You also have a broken finger which we set, a black eye, busted lip and bruises all over your body. You were certainly worked over, do you owe someone money?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Normally when people come in here with these extensive injuries it's because they owed a loan shark."

"I don't gamble."

"Well do you have your social, driver's license, anything that will help us create an actual file?"

"File for what?"

"The hospital records."

"I don't have any of that."

"Well what's your last name?"

"McCarty."

"Do you want to fill out a police report?"

"No, I just want to get out of here." I winced when she removed the ice pack.

"Well you're going to be here for the next 72 hours so we can keep a watch on your ribs and that concussion then you can leave." She walked out of my room after that.

Edward Anthony Masen

"_Last night at approximately twelve fifty two men were murdered at The Black Hole, a local gentleman's club near Lake Mead Boulevard. The police have been working nonstop to bring this killer to justice. The police chief has wanted everyone to know that they will bring justice for these two men. At this time they think the two men were working for Aro Volturi, a local business man of the greater Las Vegas area and the owner of the Red Sun, a new casino that just opened earlier this year." _

I sighed and turned the TV off, cancelling out the long list of Aro's accomplishments. Everyone in this town knew that he ran drugs but if you were smart you focused on his more _legal_ business ventures, not so much his illegal ones. I had a plan and it was to bring Aro to his knees but that plan wasn't supposed to be set into motion this early. I _was_ going to drag it out over a few years, let the excitement build up so that he was well aware I was coming for him. All I really wanted was the line he had from Vegas to Mexico, the main line that only he owned. Once I removed Aro from the equation that path would be mine.

I stood up from the couch and walked upstairs to shower. I didn't like to kill people but I did what I had to and if that involved killing someone then I did it. I turned the shower on and slowly stripped away my clothes. Their blood had ruined my jeans but I was sure I could get it to come out of my shoes. I stepped beneath the scalding spray and let it wash away the previous night. I scrubbed my body trying to remove any DNA evidence that might have been left on me and stepped from the shower. I grabbed the bottle of ammonia and acetone mix then scrubbed my tub, making sure to pour most of it down the drain.

I grabbed my jeans and wrapped them in a clean towel, begrudgingly wrapping my shoes in with them and set my stuff on the counter. I dressed in a pair of gym shorts and grabbed the towel. I didn't want to burn my shoes, they cost me fifteen hundred fucking dollars but thanks to Aro's men, I was going to have to burn them. That mother fucker now owed me almost three thousand dollars for the shit his boy's blood had fucked up. I went to my backyard, scanning the fenced in area before walking to the back corner and dropped the towel into the hole I had dug long ago. I doused the items in the new can of lighter fluid then flicked open the lighter. I took a deep breath wondering once more if I could clean the shoes before dropping the lighter into the hole.

I pulled my lucky zippo from my shorts and lit a cigarette taking a long drag from it as I watched my clothes burn. I had to move on Aro and it needed to be quick, before he sent his guards after me. Those men would kill me, this much I knew. I took another drag from the cigarette then flicked it into the small fire. I placed the lighter fluid back on the grill and walked back to my house. Tomorrow I would fill that hole in, when my jeans and shoes were nothing more than ash and place my grill back over it until the next mother fucker came along that had to be dealt with.


	6. Day Thirty Three

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, I've been in Colorado for the past two weekends helping my friends evacuate and then clean up their house from the wildfires. Here's the update though, late but better than never, right? :) Hope you enjoy and don't forget about the blog where you can find pictures and stuff. I placed pictures on my blog of how I view these characters. **

**Someone asked how I was going to do this when everyone met and I still have no idea, I don't know if I'm going to change the order of the POV's or leave it the way it is. Any suggestions? **

**Remember- canon pairings but drugs make you do crazy things.**

.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O .O.O.

**Day Thirty Three **

Rosalie Lilian Hale

I had been waiting exactly fifteen days for the mystery man to show up again but he never did. I couldn't help searching the crowd for him every night. I needed to know whether or not he had something to do with those men being murdered. Granted if he did tell me that he killed them I don't know what I would even say. Of course why would he confess to murder? I sighed and curled the wig in front of me, tonight would be my first night on stage and my stomach was continuously turning.

I finished with the wig and ran my fingers through my own a few times before pulling it up and pinning it to the top of my hair. I hadn't been making enough in tips to stay afloat, I could pay my rent and my utilities just in time to keep them from being turned off but it seemed like I would pay then get another bill. I had taken the life I used to live for granted, having everything taken care of and provided for me. I stared at my reflection for a second wondering if I could do this, walk out on the stage and let men objectify me for a little bit of money. I thought back to my conversation with Lyla, the owner.

"_Lyla I need to make more money, how can I get these men to tip more?" Lyla looked over at me, her hair was pulled into a high bun tonight and the pink highlights made it look kind of awesome. _

"_You're not going to get any more money out of these men then you already do Rosie, I thought you had money saved up?" _

"_I do but it's going to be gone soon, I can't keep depending on it to keep me stable. I'm living hand to mouth at this point." Lyla shook her head and stacked the cooler under the bar with beer. She sighed leaning against the bar and looking at me. _

"_The only way you're going to get more money is to get on that stage and I can't let you do that." _

"_Why not?" I asked surprising myself. I didn't want to be a stripper. _

"_Rosalie, we both know you're not twenty-one," She whispered leaning towards me. "If I get busted with you in here they'll shut me down. I can't risk having them come in here and find you not only serving drinks but shaking your tits on stage as well." Lyla thought I was eighteen, I never told her that I was but I never told her I wasn't either. I chewed on the corner of my lip wondering if I wanted to put her in that spot. _

"_Listen, who'll ever know? I don't have I.D. and you don't have paperwork on me. If by some crazy turn of events the cops did come in here, it'd be like I was never here. I could sneak out without them knowing." Lyla groaned running her hands over her face. _

"_No Rosalie, I can't risk it." _

"_Just think about it, please? Think of the money I could bring in, I mean…look at me." I stood back and waved my hands over my body. She looked me over and I could tell she was thinking about it. _

"_I'll think about it." She nodded and I smiled. _

"_That's all I'm asking." I ran off to pull the chairs down and set up for the night. _

"Rose!" I jumped banging my knee on the vanity table.

"Fuck, what do you want Julie?" I ran my hand over my red knee.

"We all need to get ready and there are only two mirrors, you know the rules. Five minutes." I nodded and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, give me one more minute alright?" She sighed and walked away. I applied my makeup trying my best to hide behind it as I applied heavy eyeliner and eye shadow. Tonight was my first night on stage and it was a test, a test to see if I could do it, a test to see if I could make enough to live off of and a test to see if I was worth the risk to Lyla. I stood up and walked over to what everyone called "The Closet;" it was really just three racks of clothing in the corner of the dressing room. I rifled through the clothing wrinkling my nose at most the options.

There was a lot of spandex, neon colors, tights, leather and bikini tops. None of it seemed like anything I would wear even if I was about to strip on stage. I continued to dig through the costumes and panties, refusing to touch some of them as they didn't look like they were washed very often. I decided I would keep my own panties on, good thing I had worn a pair of La Perla lace boyshorts and matching bra. I hated shopping at La Perla before I left home, I felt like everything looked old woman-ish but now I'd kill to be able to shop there just one more time. I grabbed a man's dress shirt from the back of the rack and slipped it on over my bra and panties then grabbed a pair of black stilettos. I slid my feet into them and placed my clothes into my gym bag before locking it away in my locker. I heard the music on stage end and I was next. I pulled the wig over my hair, letting the blonde locks fall to my waist.

I stood off to the right as the announcer stated that I was new and it was my first night so make me feel welcome. The music started slow and soft and I stepped out onto the stage. All the lights were off except the small ones that ran the length of the runway and the spotlight that was centered on me. I moved my hips to the beat and my heart was racing so fast I thought for sure the men in the front could see it. I kept my eyes trained on the floor as I walked out slowly making sure to stretch my legs. Those modeling classes finally did pay off, not in the way my mother was hoping but at least I was using my knowledge. I wrapped my hand around the top of the pole when I finally reached it and pressed my back against it slowly sliding down. I glanced at one of the men in the front and he had a disgusting smile on his face.

I had to keep the tears at bay and the bile in my stomach as I started to undo the three buttons that held my shirt closed. I hummed along to the song and worked my way up and down the pole then swung around it letting the shirt fall to the ground. Money started to hit the stage once the shirt came off. It appeared to be mostly singles and fives. I walked around the edge of the stage giving the men a view of my ass then unhooked my bra. I pulled my arms from the straps using my hand to keep my chest covered and more money was starting to fall at my feet.

I smiled feeling the adrenaline coursing through my body. I fell to my knees on the front of the stage and let my bra go. I moved my body to the beat knowing I was almost completely exposed to these strangers. I could feel fingers on my hips as money was slid into my panties but they were there then gone. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, moving my naked body to the beat. I stood up slowly pulling the edges of my panties over my hips but never letting them drop. It was illegal to completely strip but like Lyla said, there was no harm in teasing.

I picked up my clothes and held them to my chest once the song ended and the few lights that we had came on. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I walked around and collected the money. I hurried off stage with both my hands full of waded up bills. I unlocked my locker and shoved the money into my purse knowing better than to count it out in the open. I locked the door back and changed into a club t-shirt and a skirt so that I could go and pick up the slack at the bar.

Mary Alice Brandon

It had been two weeks since my attack and I had seen Dr. Cullen one other time for another exam to make sure I was okay. I took another pain pill even though my pain was gone; it was more out of habit. I stared at the business card in my lap and thought about the phone call I had had earlier.

"_Best In Show, how may I direct your call?" I fidgeted and held the receiver of the pay phone tight against my ear. _

"_I need to speak with someone; he gave me a business card but not his name." _

"_Hold please." I listened to the music as I watched people walk down the strip while the sun beat down on the small box that I was inside. _

"_Jared Cameron." A voice came over the phone. _

"_Y-yes, my name is Alice; you gave me your card." I heard shuffling on the other end._

"_And where exactly were we when I provided my card?" _

"_A diner, about two weeks ago." _

"_Ah yes, the sad girl in the booth by herself."_

"_I just wanted to know why you gave it to me."_

"_To offer you a job of course." He laughed. _

"_A job?" _

"_Yes." I chewed on my bottom lip wondering if this was a joke._

"_What kind of job?" _

"_As an escort, you're more than welcome to come by my office for an interview." _

I had agreed to an interview and when I arrived I was quickly escorted back to his office. We discussed what exactly I would be doing, going to large events and dinners with very wealthy men. There would be no sex involved unless they paid more and I agreed to it. Once I heard that I would get five thousand dollars just to sign the contract I knew I wanted the job. I didn't read over the papers as I signed quickly where he indicated and I asked if he needed anything else. When he asked for my license I told him that everything had been stolen when I arrived. He nodded and asked for my full name so he could run a background check. I provided him with my name and fake birth date; thankfully nothing came up indicating I had escaped from a mental hospital or that I'd lied. He said he would need my driver's license as soon as I had it replaced to keep on file then we could start finding me work.

Jared gave me a cell phone that was to only be used for incoming calls; I wasn't allowed to use it for anything but work. I left his office and quickly went to get something to eat then I looked over the newspaper for somewhere to live. There were no apartments that seemed in my price range and I was sure they would want some form of I.D. I knew right away that my first order of business would be to find a fake I.D. and social security card so that I could get an apartment or hotel for the week and a client. I hung around the streets listening for anything I could grasp about finding a document forger. There was no way I was going to walk up to a random person and ask for a fake license. I was going to give up when I spotted a man handing what looked to be a passport to another gentleman in the alley I was passing.

I thought it over as the last time I went down an alley I was raped and left in an abandoned building but at this point I was desperate. I made my way down the alley carrying my plastic bag of belongings when the men looked up at me. The one who had handed over the passport quickly got in his car and the second man disappeared into a doorway.

"No wait!" I yelled at the car waving my hand but he quickly turned the corner and was gone. I looked at the door the second man had stepped behind and took a deep breath stepping inside. "Hello?" I barely had the word out when someone slammed me against the wall with an arm to my throat. I was scared, afraid to move and couldn't touch the floor. I was ready to kick this guy in the balls when he asked if I was a cop. I shook my head quickly.

"You look too young to be a cop," He stated lowering me to the floor. "So why are you running after strangers in an alley?" I coughed running a hand over my throat. "Sorry about that." His accent was thick but I couldn't place where he was from.

"I need a license and thought maybe he was giving you a fake passport." The man laughed.

"You just assumed it was fake because he was giving it to me in an alley?" I nodded embarrassed by my own stupidity. "Well it's not fake, it's very much real, but he does in fact forge documents. He was correcting my birthday on here so I can leave out tomorrow. You American's take forever to fix your mistakes."

"Do you know his name or have his number?"

"All I have is a phone number, he charged me four hundred dollars to fix one number, there's no telling how much he'll charge you. Do you think you can afford it?" I rolled my eyes.

"You have no idea what I can afford, please give me the number." He handed over the number that was written on a ripped corner of paper. "Thanks." I mumbled and opened the door.

"Be careful, he's not very nice."

"I can handle myself, but thank you." I took another pain pill and walked from the alley to the nearest payphone. I stepped inside the booth and deposited a few coins before dialing the number on the paper.

"Hello?" A rough voice came over the line.

"I was told you could get me something that I needed…" I bit my lip.

"What do you want?"

"A driver's license and social card." He whistled low.

"Those social security cards, they take awhile and cost quite a bit. How'd you get my number?"

"A man you gave a passport to." I heard him mumble something.

"Well I need your name and to meet you."

"My name is Alice Brandon."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen." The man laughed.

"How old do you need to be?"

"Twenty one."

"Well come by my office so I can get your picture." I jotted down the address and he gave me a time to drop by tomorrow evening. I hung up and walked down the street to a motel that thankfully was paid by the hour and they certainly didn't care about I.D. The room smelled and there were bars on the window but at least the door locked. It was already better than the shelter. I grabbed the bottle of pain medication and took two more pills before lying down and closing my eyes.

Isabella Marie Swan

"This shit is amazing." I mumbled feeling my body start to tingle as I leaned back against the couch. I was in Angela's apartment and had just come from a "date." It was a ritual of mine to come to her apartment every night after one of my dates and get high with her. I had been giving her a hundred dollars every two weeks to help pay for the cocaine, weed and beer.

"Do it again." She laughed dividing the pile of powder into another line. I quickly breathed the line through my nose and felt the slow drip into my throat. It wasn't long before my body really began to buzz and I was jittery. I wanted to run and jump and scream and everything else. I stood up and walked around her living room before my eyes fell onto the green pool void of any leaves for the first time.

"Ang!" I yelled then laughed. "We have to go swimming!" I watched a line disappear into Angela's nose as she looked up at me with glassy eyes that I'm sure matched my own.

"She's fucking crazy Angela." Ben slurred from the kitchen taking a long drink of his beer.

"I'm not crazy, I just want to swim. The pool is actually clean." I grabbed the bottle of vodka from the floor and took a long drink enjoying the burn.

"I've got something you can try if you want to have a good time Bella." He laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"No, I want to swim. Not fuck you again."

"I think it sounds like fun." Angela giggled standing up. "Let's go swimming Benny!" She grabbed my hand and we stumbled down the stairs together. I knew Ben would come with us; he always did no matter what we decided to try. Ben followed slowly behind us rolling a joint and lighting it. I pushed the broken gate open and laughed when the top hinge broke then walked to the edge of the pool. I stared at my reflection in the still water before reaching my hand out. I wanted to touch myself and make the picture go away, the image of this girl I didn't even recognize.

"Bella!" Ben yelled making me jump as he pulled me back. "Are you trying to fucking kill yourself? If you would've fell in you would've drown." He took another drag after letting me go and I stared back at the pool. The only light was from the full moon and I started to take off my dress. Angela had stripped completely naked and was standing on the steps downing the last of the rum. I pulled my underwear off my body and sat on the edge of the pool, the concrete scraping my bare thighs. Ben flicked what was left of his joint into the water and sat down next to me. I slipped off the edge of the pool and submerged myself in the water amazed at the coolness of it; it felt like every nerve in my body was on fire and frozen at the same time. I surfaced for air and laughed at the feeling of the water on my skin.

"An-ge-la, get all the way in…it feels like…like icy hot." I laughed grasping the edge of the pool. Ben held out the bottle of vodka for me and I wrapped my fingers around the glass bottle. I felt small currents traveling from the glass to the nerve endings in my fingers. I took a long drink then handed it back to him and swam over to Angela. I got out of the water, wobbling my way up the stairs. Angela was still standing on the steps, the water up to her knees as she just stared at the moon. I was trying to get her attention when she finally looked over at me and pressed her lips against mine. To say I was shocked was an understatement but I could feel my body coming alive again and it felt too amazing to stop.

Jasper Cole Whitlock

It was crazy at work, there were more people than usual and I was handing out drinks and taking money faster than I could count it. It got to the point that I was just shoving the cash into the register and handing out the closest beers I could grab. There was one guy that kept ordering drinks and I was trying to keep an eye on him to make sure nothing went down. Drunks were hell to handle. It went on like this for two hours before some people finally left and things quieted down. I leaned back to take a deep breath when I heard a loud crash and a few obscenities fly.

"God dammit!" The guy that I had been trying to keep a guy on yelled out and slammed his beer bottle into the face of an older man. The older man grabbed him by his shirt and you could hear his fist connect with the drunk's jaw. I jumped over the bar knocking down a few bottles as I ran over to the two men. I quickly tried to break them up, pulling the drunk from the man's fist. I stepped between them only to have a bottle smash against the back of my head. I turned and grabbed the drunk around the throat before dragging him to the door. I pushed him outside and walked back to the office telling the other bar hand I'd be right back.

I could feel the blood dripping down the back of my neck and my head was pounding as I rummaged through the desk to find any kind of headache medicine. I grabbed a towel from the laundry that we had to put away and wiped off my neck. The blood kept coming so I pressed the towel to the back of my head wincing as I felt the throbbing increase. The door opened behind me and I turned to see who walked in.

"Hey man, how's the head?" Anthony, the other bartender, asked.

"It fucking kills man, I can't stop the bleeding." He frowned looking at the blood dripping from my neck.

"You should get that checked out, there's a 24 hour clinic down the street." He nudged his head to the left.

"It's not that bad."

"No dude, I think you should go, you're bleeding everywhere." I thought about it for a second and figured we were only going to be open for two or three more hours.

"Do you think you can handle clean up by yourself?" He nodded.

"If not you can come in early and help." He joked. "You should be back though, before closing." I nodded holding the towel to the back of my head.

"Hope so." I walked outside and headed in the direction of my truck. I climbed inside and took off in the direction Anthony had mentioned trying to keep blood from dripping onto my seats. I noticed the red neon cross and figured it had to be the place. I got out of my truck careful of my blood soaked rag and made my way inside. A small woman behind the counter looked up.

"Oh dear, what happened to you?" She sighed and came around the edge of the check in desk.

"Beer bottle to the head."

"You shouldn't have been fighting." I chuckled.

"Actually I was trying to break it up."

"And this is what you got in return." She grabbed a pair of latex gloves from a holder on the wall and slipped them on. "Let's get you to an exam room and take a look." I nodded and followed her to a room where she sat me in a chair exclaiming I was too tall for her to reach me if I sat on the exam table. I pulled the towel away and let her locate the cut. You have a few deep cuts and it looks like some of the glass is still in. Let me get the doctor." She handed me a new rag to hold against my head and stepped outside. I didn't have to wait long for the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Cullen and I was told that you need stitches because of a bar fight?" I nodded my head and removed the rag. "Well you certainly do need stitches." He picked up what looked like overgrown tweezers and started to pull something from the back of my head.

"Son of a bitch that hurts," I groan and watch him drop a piece of brown glass into a metal bowl. "Can't you numb it?"

"I can as soon as I get the glass out." I listened to the small clinks of glass hitting metal then watched him pick up a syringe. "I'll numb it and stitch you up then you'll be on your way." I nodded and let him finish getting me squared away. "I need you to tell me honestly if you do any drugs." He pulled the gloves off of his hands and tossed them into a red trashcan.

"Hell no, that shit destroyed my family." Dr. Cullen nodded and pulled a pad from a drawer and a pen from his pocket.

"Here's a prescription for a mild painkiller. I'll need to see you in a week to remove the stitches. If you don't have the money the other wing of this free clinic will fill this for free tomorrow when they open."

"I've got it but thanks Doc. I'll see you next week, same time?" I laughed.

"I only work overnights once a week. You can come to my office at Sunrise Medical. I'll set you up an appointment for Friday at noon?" I nodded my head. "Your name?"

"Jasper Whitlock."

"I'll see you then Jasper." He nodded and opened the door with a smile.

Emmett Dale McCarty

Two weeks of recuperating, two weeks of trying like hell to do more than lie in bed, two weeks of fighting just to take a leak on my own. I was finally discharged from the hospital over a week ago and since then I'd been lying in the hotel bed watching TV and getting room service. I needed to get out of this room before I went fucking crazy. I got up ignoring the pain that shot down my side and pulled on a pair of jeans. I grabbed a button up shirt so that my hands wouldn't have to go above my head and slid it on carefully. I grabbed my wallet and slid my shoes on before walking out of the room. I had no idea where I was going but I was getting fucking cabin fever.

I hadn't been walking for long when I passed by a building with black paint over the windows. I ducked inside looking around the bar. It was dark and smoke floated through the air. I walked to the nearest table and sat down taking a ragged breath. Two dark haired girls moved around the room in matching shirts. One had pink streaks through her hair and the other had a great looking ass from what I could see. I waved down the one with pink hair and ordered a beer. I knew I shouldn't be drinking with all the pain meds in my system but I didn't give a fuck tonight.

The second one brought my beer over and sat it down before looking down at me. She had to be the most beautiful girl I'd set eyes on since getting here; hell probably ever. Her skin was tan and looked to be a smooth as silk; her dark brown eyes were full of wonder and pain. She made me want to grab her and kiss all the hurt away. I smiled at her finally able to ignore the pain in my ribs.

"Hi," I grinned up at her. She smiled, her teeth blindingly white even in this dark room.

"Hi yourself."

"What's a pretty girl like you working in a place like this?" She rolled her eyes laughing. I loved the sound.

"We all need a job, right?"

"Not if you'd like to become a kept woman." I wiggled my eyebrows.

"No thanks," She moved my beer closer to me. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Your phone number?" Not that I had a cell phone but I could call her from the hotel.

"Not a chance big boy." She winked and walked away. I was going to make this woman mine, it was useless for her to try and deny it. I watched that skirt move right under her gorgeous ass and my fingers itched to lift it. I shifted in the chair and grabbed my beer taking a long drink from it. I ignored the turning in my stomach as the smell of cigarettes and beer reminded me of the place I came from. I remembered Natasha and Natalie, hoping they were okay. Please let that social worker take them somewhere else, somewhere new where they were treated the way they should be. I cleared my throat and took another drink. _Fuck those memories. _

"Do you need anything else?" The brunette had returned. I smiled up at her trying to rid the emotion from my voice.

"Yeah, your name?" She laughed again and leaned over the table. I fought like hell to keep my eyes on her face instead of her ample tits.

"You want to know my name?" She purred and I felt my cock awaken.

"Hell yes I do." She smiled running her tongue over her bottom lip.

"And what will you give me for it?"

"Anything you want baby." I shifted in my chair.

"Rose!" The pink haired bitch yelled ruining my moment.

"Sorry, I've got other tables."

"That's alright, _Rose._" I grinned and she smiled shaking her head.

"If only that was really my name." She laughed and walked away. I was left feeling dumbfounded. That had to be her name. I decided I would return to The Black Hole every night until she did tell me her name though I had a suspicion it was, in fact, Rose.

Edward Anthony Masen

I leaned against my car taking a drag off my cigarette as I watched the people walk up and down the strip mesmerized by the bright lights and music. It was a lot to take in when you first came to Vegas, even if you weren't here to gamble. There was a lot of fun to be had in this city, a lot of fun indeed. They never pegged me for the two murders, not that I thought they would. There were no cameras at The Black Hole and the only people I spoke with were the waitress and the one stripper in the back. I sighed and shoved my hand my pocket fingering the plastic bags. I flicked my cigarette onto the ground then pushed myself off the car. There was a meeting to be had.

I walked down the strip blending in with everyone that was strolling along. I scanned the crowd looking for the familiar face but I didn't see her. I was getting agitated as I looked at my watch. I hated to be kept waiting. I looked around but I couldn't find Angela anywhere. _What the hell? She was always on time. _I walked up and down the strip a few more times enjoying the cool desert air until I noticed a few regulars hanging around the outside of a casino.

"Hey," I nodded my head at the group of people. "What are you guys doing out here?" I looked at the heavy casino doors.

"We were wanting to party so it's a good thing we just ran into you." Paul and Troy smiled and I chuckled.

"Good thing indeed, what are we thinking, five?" I glanced at how many people were in their group. They looked at each other then nodded.

"Maybe six or seven." I felt the bags in my pocket moving my fingers over seven of them. I jerked my head behind me.

"Follow me." We walked along the strip until there was a small alley that I constructed business in regularly because it was hidden between two casinos and you had to be looking for it to find it. I stepped between the buildings quickly and looked around after they followed me. People were still rushing up and down the strip oblivious to what was going on fifteen feet away. I shook Paul's hand taking the four hundred dollars from him. I charged everyone differently; it really depended on how frequent of a customer you were and how stupid you were. I palmed the bags and shook Troy's hand depositing them into his. I shoved both hands in my pockets then stretched them above my head. I lit up another cigarette and nodded.

"Until next time." Paul said walking the opposite way down the strip.

Thankfully, I had been able to make a sale, otherwise I would've been a lot more pissed off that Angela never showed. People didn't just stand me up, not when they had a habit like Angela's. I wasn't worried about her wellbeing I was worried about my money. Where the fuck was she that she wouldn't meet me for her score? I walked along the sidewalk and sold to two more of my regulars before getting in my car. I was going to stop by Angela's tomorrow and make sure she hadn't gone to fucking Aro. His shit would kill you.


End file.
